Precision fermentation did not form part of any of the €24.2million research awards I announced in December 2023 from my Department's Thematic Research Call 2023. I expect to announce a further tranche of successful projects from this Call soon. One of those will examine the potential for alternative plant-based protein using fermentation technology (not precision fermentation) while another will create an all-island Irish network of research organisations to ensure that diverse facilities and expertise can be leveraged for research and innovation in areas such as precision fermentation, production of bio-based proteins and chemicals, and development of sustainable bio-based processes.
Separately, the U-Protein project funded by my Department is examining the role of crop and marine resources as alternative sources of protein, and there is a small component looking at using precision fermentation in the utilisation of waste streams for food and non-food uses (such as bio-plastics).
Precision fermentation builds on traditional fermentation techniques that have been used in food production for many years. Besides its use in the area of plant proteins, precision fermentation also offers the potential to be an important part of a circular food system as it has the potential to be used for making better use of food processing side streams by extracting valuable components for other food and non-food uses (such as bio-plastics).
