In this section
@article{Gnaim:2026:10.1038/s41467-026-73987-0,
author = {Gnaim, R and Kassim, H and Neidhardt, L and Gassler, T and Ledesma-Amaro, R},
doi = {10.1038/s41467-026-73987-0},
journal = {Nature Communications},
title = {Navigating adoption barriers for microbial proteins in future food},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-73987-0},
volume = {17},
year = {2026}
}
TY - JOUR
AB - Microbial biomass fermentation, in which microbes are cultivated to produce nutrient-dense biomass, offers a scalable route to sustainable protein production with low land, water, and greenhouse gas footprints. However, its shift from a speciality to a mainstream food continues to be difficult. Here, we move beyond technological overviews and propose a three-phase adoption framework: novelty barrier, early trust-building, and mainstream normalisation. This framework organises techno-economic, regulatory, and infrastructural barriers into a single trajectory. We trace single-cell proteins’ rise, decline and resurgence, map engineering and policy enablers by phase, and outline levers to move microbial proteins into resilient food systems.
AU - Gnaim,R
AU - Kassim,H
AU - Neidhardt,L
AU - Gassler,T
AU - Ledesma-Amaro,R
DO - 10.1038/s41467-026-73987-0
PY - 2026///
SN - 2041-1723
TI - Navigating adoption barriers for microbial proteins in future food
T2 - Nature Communications
UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-73987-0
UR - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-73987-0
VL - 17
ER -
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