UPCYFUN – Sustainable protein production through precision fermentation - Side-streams for valuable food ingredients
Project start. Expected completion.
Project start: 1st April 2025. Expected completion: 30th June 2028
Summary of the project
Protein demand is expected to double by 2050, while food accounts for over 25% of global greenhouse gas emissions (animal-based foods contribute 18%). Achieving a climate-neutral food system requires alternatives to animal proteins. The UPCYFUN project will develop a platform for sustainable production of animal proteins through precision fermentation. By using upcycled side streams from agriculture, food, and biotech industries as growth media, and optimized fungal strains as production hosts, the project will create a new value chain that reduces emissions by 70-90% compared to traditional animal production. UPCYFUN will pave the way for competitive Danish biotechnological food production with significant export and job creation potential
Objectives of the project
- Mapping of side-streams from agriculture, food and biotech industries. Upcycling them to produce media for fermentation.
- Finding new fungal strains to be production hosts growing on side-stream-based media.
- Developing 2 efficient fungal production hosts based on selected strains
- Production of carbohydrate-rich fermentation ingredients, effectively replacing refined sugar with upcycled side-streams.
- To upcycle 25,000 tons of fry mass bio-residuals for fermentation by 2030.
- To enable Denmark to take a leading position in this transformative food sector and thus create new jobs
Participants
- Protein Frontiers ApS
- Technical University of Denmark (DTU)
- Aalborg University (AAU)
- Danish Technological Institute (DTI)
- Pexinno
- HNH-consult Aps
- Lyras
- Vestjyllands Andel