PROSCALE

Recent global geopolitical challenges highlight the importance of diversifying protein sources for food security and sustainability. Reducing dependence on animal proteins and the global reliance on four major crops - maize, soy, rice and wheat - through the development of alternatives such as single-cell proteins is essential for food security. Single-cell proteins also offer a more resource-efficient and climate-friendly alternative to conventional animal proteins.  

PROSCALE aims to advance the production of high-quality alternative proteins for food applications by scaling up continuous fermentation processes for fungal, yeast, and bacterial single-cell proteins. The project uses food industry sidestreams, such as processing residues from potato, wheat, and vegetables, as well as by-products from baking and pasta production, as sustainable fermentation feedstocks.  

The project combines upstream and downstream process innovation with a digital twin platform to optimise resource efficiency, reduce environmental impacts, and ensure scalable, safe, multifunctional protein ingredients (>50% protein dry matter). These include fungal mycoproteins, yeast proteins, and bacterial proteins for applications such as meat and dairy substitutes, sports and health-conscious nutrition, and staple foods like bread and pasta.  

In addition, by applying a cascaded, minimal-waste approach, co-products are reintegrated into the production cycle or transformed into non-food applications, including the conversion of side-streams into methane and CO₂-derived compounds, as well as the development of palatants for pet food applications.  

• Advance sustainable, efficient, and safe protein production for food application via continuous biomass fermentation, using locally sourced substrates derived from food industry sidestreams. 
• Provide a competitive advantage compared to similar products on the market in terms of production costs, improved taste, and validated sensory acceptance. 
• Enable cost-effective fermentation substrates derived from food industry sidestreams, developed by applying innovative methods to remove or detoxify growth inhibitors, eliminate and/or transform non-fermentable suspended solids, as well as optimise substrate formulation.  
• Demonstrate the versatility and applicability of single-cell protein in enhancing palatability, nutritional adequacy, and in vitro digestibility across food applications, with critical quality parameters established to support large-scale production. 
• Develop a more circular and zero-waste approach for cascaded use of project co-products through water and spent medium recycling, CO₂-to-C2/C3 conversion, and pet food applications, while ensuring measures to minimise toxicological risks or reintroduction of pathogens and contaminants.  
• Evaluate and optimise the resource efficiency of PROSCALE processes, targeting at least a 40% reduction in climate-change impact and lower waste generation.  Develop business models and value proposition strategies to enhance future market entry and consumer acceptance of the project ingredients and food applications. 
• Implement and enhance a multi-actor approach through effective communication and dissemination of project outcomes and policy briefs, fostering synergies with related initiatives, stakeholder co-creation, and societal acceptance of single-cell proteins, ensuring targeted outreach.  

• Increase EU companies’ revenue by approximately €850 million through the projected capture of up to 10% of the single-cell protein market and licensing advanced feedstock transformation know-how. 
• Improve resource efficiency by 40–60% through the optimised use of underutilised sidestreams from food and feed production. 
• Contribute to improving climate neutrality by 20% across PROSCALE processes.  
• Boost the circularity of project solutions by 2-7% by using co-products for pet food or technical applications.  
• Target a tenfold increase in fermenter capacity, supporting the long-term potential to produce significant quantities of dietary protein for the EU population. 
• Diversify protein sources and production systems to strengthen resilience against environmental or geopolitical crises. 
• Projected reduction greenhouse gas emissions and water consumption by 60% compared to traditional protein source production, while minimising waste generation through new feedstock transformation processes and optimised value chains.