Urban Microalgae-Based Protein Production

It is projected that by 2050, up to 68 per cent of total human population will live in urban areas. With a limited amount of land for agricultural production in cities, innovative food systems are needed for food security. In Singapore, to enhance food security, the ‘30 by 30’ goal calls for an increase in capability and capacity to grow 30 per cent of total food needs locally and sustainably by 2030. In the land-scarce city state, meeting this goal through traditional food production methods alone will be challenging.

The ‘Urban Microalgae-Based Protein Production’ project sets out to establish a resilient and sustainable agri-food platform for microalgae-based food products, in a step towards more sustainable food systems and greater food security. Taking a whole value-chain approach, the project combines emerging microalgae concepts with technological and process innovation, with a clear goal of developing a tangible food product concept.

While meat and seafood are viable sources of protein, the resource-intensive nature of their production continues to put a strain on the environment. In recent years, meat and seafood alternatives have become more commonly available. However, the commonly-used key ingredients of soy or wheat tend to come along with significant needs for arable land.

Single cell production systems, such as microalgae, on the other hand, have a very low demand for land, among other advantages. From the perspective of nutrition, microalgae-based food products are good sources of protein and vitamins, with well-balanced amino acid profiles and good ratios of polyunsaturated fatty acids. What is needed to make microalgae-based protein more commercially viable are innovative processes to improve the supply-chain eco-efficiency, as well as an R&D platform for food concept development.

This whole-value chain approach brings together expertise from the Novel Proteins for Food and Feed project at ETH Zurich’s World Food Systems Centre,as well as the Department of Food Science and Technology at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the Singapore Institute of Food and Biotechnology Innovation at Agency for Science Technology and Research (A*STAR).

Ultimately, consumer acceptance of the microalgae-based food concept depends on whether the cost, nutrition, taste, texture, and smell are sufficiently tailored to the preferences of the local market. Therefore, the team will take a reverse engineering approach and co-create food concepts by incorporating consumer insights and collaborating with relevant partners. They include Swiss and Singapore-based food producers such as Nestlé and ingredient processing companies such as Bühler, Givaudan, Planted Foods, and Sophie’s Bionutrients. In addition, the Singapore Food Agency will play an advisory role and provide feedback on the project’s R&D direction and decisions.

The project is supported by the National Research Foundation, Singapore (NRF) under its Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE) programme.