Project

Process development & intensification for precision fermentation of milk proteins

Precision fermentation could enable the production of animal-like milk proteins without the need for livestock and with a reduced carbon footprint compared to traditional dairy farming. However, before this technology can be applied on a commercial scale, certain technical bottlenecks must be overcome.

We aim to improve production yields and reduce the costs of precision fermentation processes by developing cost-effective processes with a reduced risk of contamination and by establishing and characterising unconventional microbial hosts.

The large-scale production of dairy has negative impacts on our society due to its unsustainable nature, and its ethical dilemmas related to animal welfare. Plant-based dairy alternatives on the other hand often have lower sensory qualities, one of the reasons why they are still consumed significantly less than their animal-derived counterparts.

Precision fermentation could be a key technology for producing high-quality food proteins with sensory profiles similar to those of animal-derived proteins.

Precision fermentation is an emerging technology that enables the production of animal-based food ingredients, such as milk proteins, using bioreactors and microbial hosts. A microbial host of interest, typically a yeast or fungus, is genetically engineered to heterologously express an animal-based food protein such as β-lactoglobulin, casein, hemoglobin, or ovalbumin. This host is then cultivated in a bioreactor to produce its protein of interest.

Aim

This project aims to advance precision fermentation technology by establishing cost-effective production methods, and by developing cultivation methods with a reduced risk of contamination.

We will approach this by:

  • Developing non-axenic yeast/fungi cultivation methods in bioreactors (i.e. not a strictly pure culture), while maintaining near-optimal heterologous protein production.
  • Characterising and establishing unconventional yeast/fungal microbial hosts.
  • Exploring alternative carbon substrates.
  • Valorising residual biomass after fermentation.
  • Improving secretion efficiencies.

Technologies

Precision fermentation is a multidisciplinary field, thus the technologies and techniques used in this project are diverse:

Molecular techniques:

Cloning, genetic engineering, and CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing.

Strain development:

Strain characterisation, transformation experiments, adaptive laboratory evolution, and high throughput screening.

Bioprocessing:

Strain cultivation and heterologous protein production in batch, fed-batch and continuous operation modes.

Contact

Thesis projects are available for enthusiastic Bachelor’s and Master’s students. If you are interested in this project, feel free to reach out to Willem Baris.