Synfood

"Quorn and vegetable tagine with cous-cous" (photo by Flickr user "mp-media".)

The concept known as "single cell protein" refers to the production of dietary protein using microbial organisms. These could be bacterial or fungal organisms that metabolize various chemicals, such as multi-carbon compounds, but also methanol, methane and even hydrogen. One of the well-researched organisms in this field is Methylophilus methylotrophus. “Pruteen” synfood failed in the 1980's because of cost. Would it work now with today's low gas prices?

Name

While this concept is called “single cell protein”, it is not limited to the production of proteins but could also include carbohydrates and fats. This needs to be re-branded with a better name - perhaps “synfood”, analogous to “synfuel”.

Intellectual property situation

Patents from the 1970s and 80s. In the public domain?

Overall impact

This field has failed to take off in the past but could have major impact on food production, especially meat production.

Potential technologies

• methane from [biogas] => synfood
• source: hydrogen => methane => methanol => food, biofuels
• extensions: solar hydrogen, hydrogen and methane from pyrolysis of biomass (via "water-gas-shift" reaction), etc.

Links

• Pruteen from Methylophilus Methylotropous (good presentation on Prezi)
• NextBigFuture: "Natural Gas Fracked bacterial fishmeal can save the worlds fish and enable a lot more farmed fish"
• Wikipedia: Quorn
• Patent: "Process for culturing methylophilus methylotrophus - US 4652527 A
• http://biomaster2011.blogspot.ca/2011/03/scp-derived-from-bacteria.html