New CBE JU project starts work on scaling up microbial protein ingredients from food industry side-streams

A new CBE JU Innovation Action has started with the aim of turning food industry side-streams into protein ingredients for food. PROSCALE: “Scalable microbial protein ingredients for appealing nutritious foods” is coordinated by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT) and runs from September 2026 to August 2030 with €7 million in funding from the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU).

Europe needs more diverse and resilient sources of protein for food. Single-cell proteins (SCP), produced by fungi, yeasts or bacteria through fermentation, can be grown quickly and independently of farmland and climate, and can deliver ingredients with a high protein content. Two barriers have so far limited their wider use: the cost and availability of suitable fermentation feedstocks, and the gap between promising pilot results and reliable production at industrially relevant scale. At the same time, food processing generates large volumes of side-streams that still contain valuable carbon sources and nutrients, and that are often used for lower-value applications.

PROSCALE addresses both challenges together.  The project will convert food processing side-streams into fermentation substrates and scale up three SCP production routes from technology readiness level (TRL) 5 to TRL 7: mycoprotein from filamentous fungi, yeast protein, and bacterial protein produced by gas fermentation with methanotrophic bacteria. The processes will use continuous fermentation, targeting safe, nutritious and functional food ingredients with at least 50% protein on a dry matter basis.

From side-streams to food products

PROSCALE will follow the protein ingredients along the full value chain: from side-stream characterisation and pre-treatment, through fermentation and downstream processing, to quality and safety assessment and formulation into food prototypes. Food industry partners will test the ingredients in their own product categories, ensuring that nutritional quality, taste, texture and processability are assessed under realistic conditions.

The project will also examine how co-products and resources from the production processes can be further valorised, supporting a more circular approach to microbial protein production. Digital tools, including a digital twin to support process optimisation and scale-up, will help translate results from one scale to the next.

Throughout the project, techno-economic and environmental assessments, consumer research and regulatory work will guide development choices, and prepare the ground for novel food authorisation, market entry and investment decisions after the project ends.

This work will connect the project’s results with the food industry, researchers, policymakers, investors and consumers, and will support the exploitation of results through business models, practice-oriented materials and policy recommendations.

The consortium

The project is coordinated by VTT.

Research and innovation partners: Wageningen University & Research (The Netherlands); German Institute of Food Technologies (DIL); University of Vaasa (Finland); American College of Greece Research Center (Greece); Institut Lyfe Research Centre (France); EIT Food (Belgium); European Federation of Food Science and Technology (EFFoST), (The Netherlands).

Industry partners: Duynie (The Netherlands); Enifer (Sweden); Circe (Austria); Tetra Pak (Sweden); Sinonin Biotech (Germany); Pinar (Türkiye); Barilla (Italy); Kubara Goodcalories (Poland).

The consortium combines leading research and technology organisations with companies covering the full value chain, from side-stream suppliers and fermentation technology developers to processing equipment providers and food manufacturers. Several partners are members or associate members of the Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC).

PROSCALE is funded by the European Union under grant agreement 101288362. The project is supported by the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking and its members. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or CBE JU. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

Project record on CORDIS: cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101288362

Coordinator contact:

Prof. Nesli Sözer, at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, – nesli.sozer@vtt.fi

Dissemination and communication contact:

Dr Lucian Miron, Senior Project Manager, EFFoST — l.miron@effost.org

Nicole Aguerre, Marketing and Communication Manager, EFFoST – n.aguerre@effost.org