New UK bioprocess could help feed the planet

3f bio is a technology spinout from the University of Strathclyde. Its patented technique involves integrating the production of bioethanol with the fermentation of mycoprotein. The current method for producing mycoprotein uses glucose as a feedstock, whereas 3f bio’s process uses a feedstock produced in the bioethanol refinery process.

“In the integrated 3f process, by integrating this into a biorefinery, the aim is to access the cheapest source of a sugar feedstock, and we take a sidestream of wheat hydrolysate as the new feedstock,” Jim Laird, 3f bio’s CEO and commercial director, told The Engineer.

“Within the current fermentation process for mycoprotein, there are relatively high costs associated with processing waste which contains unprocessed sugars and proteins. In an integrated process, this ‘waste’ is fed back into the biorefinery and will be fully processed into either fuel or feed.”

That current process is carried out exclusively by Quorn, where Laird previously worked as international director. The UK company’s meat-free products have grown in popularity in recent years, with people embracing alternative sources of protein for a variety of reasons, including the environmental impact of livestock farming as well as its ethical implications. But the patent for mycoprotein expired in 2010, opening the door for new players to enter the market. 3f bio’s new process looks set to capitalise on this, producing mycoprotein at a fraction of the cost of Quorn’s process.