What is the future of fermentation?

Fermentation may hold the key to meeting the world's growing nutrition needs, as well as creating a growth opportunity for the food industry. Morgan Stanley Research estimates fermented foods could become a market of at least $30 billion by 2030. The industry will expand its facilities to a commercial scale, allowing fermented products to be used for broader food applications in the form of egg, dairy and meat replacements. In Morgan Stanley Research’s most bullish estimates, the total addressable market for fermented food could reach $120 billion in 2030, or four times the baseline scenario. Morgan Stanley Research sees two main phases for fermented food development: Phase 1 and Phase 2. Phase 1 will require an initial investment of up to $22 billion. Phase 2 will require regulatory support, technological advancement and consumer acceptance for fermented foods, besides an estimated investment of $78 billion. By 2028, commercial facilities targeting millions of tons in volume will come on board and allow for penetration into mainstream food and beverage applications, including animal and dairy replacements. The optimistic growth scenario could be triggered by an acceleration in government and corporate support and a higher level of consumer acceptance due to better taste and quality of fermented products.

Precision fermentation could possibly be the biggest environmental technology invented by humans. By using microbes as ‘cell factories’ instead of livestock agriculture or petrochemicals, we might be on the cusp of a world that will look radically different from what we’re used to.