Precision fermentation best practices

Precision fermentation is rapidly growing in popularity thanks to a soaring demand for the technology among Generation Z. A 2023 survey by the Hartman Group found that 40% of U.S. consumers are willing to try foods made with precision fermentation, with Millennial and Gen Z shoppers among the most enthusiastic for precision fermented products.¹ The survey also found that these young consumers are in favor of precision fermentation because of its environmental benefits. Sourcing food molecules via precision fermentation— according to precision fermentation company Advanced Biotech—uses far less energy and water than extracting those molecules from animals.

With precision fermentation gaining popularity among consumers, then, it should come as no surprise that the industry is responding, with contract manufacturers adding precision fermentation capabilities to their roster of services. But what does precision fermentation demand from a facility? Here’s what nutraceutical professionals should know about equipping a facility for precision fermentation.

Components, Energy Demands, and Footprint

Equipping a precision fermentation facility involves some basic equipment. Mark Warner, co-founder and CEO of precision fermentation company Liberation Labs (New York City, NY), says a critical piece of equipment for precision fermentation is the aseptic fermenter.

“Commercial-scale precision fermentation is done in aseptic fermenters, similar to enzyme or amino acid fermentation,” Warner explains. “These are pressure vessels more like pharmaceutical production (vessels), and very different from beer or wine fermenters. The downstream recovery is generally similar to a modern milk processing facility, set up to separate, purify, and dry all the different milk proteins.”

Warner says that precision fermentation requires a fair amount of energy. The process uses electric power for agitation, air sparging, and cooling, while natural gas fuels spray drying. Precision fermentation facilities also require space; Liberation Labs’ launch facility is a commercial-scale, 600,000-liter facility built on 5 acres. Warner notes that some facilities can be as large as 20 acres, with a 4-million-liter capacity.

Changeover and Retrofit

A typical precision fermentation production run can last from 2 to 7 days, with downstream processing taking another 2 to 7 days. Warner says that the changeover from one fermented product to the next can be somewhat time-consuming; therefore, the Liberation Labs facility was built to run multiple processes at once. The company has invested in easily cleaned equipment and has installed a robust clean-in-place system that rinses the entire processing system with a hot cleaning solution in between batches.

While changeover at Liberation Labs is somewhat easy, Warner notes, precision fermentation can come with challenges.

“The biggest challenge of the existing network today is that it was built decades ago for a different type of organism and process, then retrofitted to adapt to newer technology,” Warner says. “These facilities are not generally of the size or cost structure to make products like novel foods at a price point that works. Liberation Labs has developed a purpose-built platform, specifically designed for the organisms and processes being developed today, and with a focus on larger-scale, lower-cost production.”

Precision Fermentation Results in Unconventional Foods

Precision fermentation has the potential to create new nutritional opportunities for a variety of food ingredients. Warner says that this processing method can make products better than their animal-based equivalents. For instance, precision fermentation can create dairy proteins that are readily soluble and clear in water; it can also create egg proteins with much better foaming functionality or a cholesterol-free fat with all the sought-after properties of butter. As these products begin to hit the market, Warner says, they’ll be critical to the reformulation of a variety of food products.

It’s important to note, though, that fermentation-derived ingredients are far from new. Fermentation-derived chymosin for use in cheese production has been around since the 1980s, and modern supplements like vitamin B₁₂ and riboflavin are often produced through fermentation processes. What’s new is the precision element; precision fermentation enables food producers and supplement manufacturers to target specific molecules like collagen or protein. One example of precision fermentation at work was the 2018 launch of Geltor’s (Emeryville, CA) mastodon collagen gummies. Geltor, a biotechnology company specializing in protein innovation, used precision fermentation to reverse-engineer collagen and gelatin from microbes like bacteria. In 2015, the company acquired a vial of DNA encoding mastodon collagen, and began producing mastodon-sourced gelatin through precision fermentation. This resulted in the world’s first mastodon protein gummy.³

Precision Fermentation is the Future of Biomanufacturing

With consumers increasingly demanding healthier products and the industry evolving to meet that demand, advanced manufacturing methods like precision fermentation will gain popularity among biomanufacturers. Precision fermentation enables companies to create new nutritional ingredients in a highly controlled manner, and while the process is energy-intensive, the benefits are myriad. Manufacturers looking to invest in precision fermentation should know that rapid changeover, while possible, is not expected; it takes investment in a clean-in-place system to make changeover faster. Furthermore, existing equipment often needs to be adapted in order to work with new technology. Despite these challenges, however, many manufacturers are pushing forward with precision fermentation due to its ability to create unconventional food ingredients. From cholesterol-free fat, to egg proteins with foaming functionality and more, precision fermentation is an ideal manufacturing process for pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with existing ingredients.

About the Contributing Writer

Mike Straus is a freelance writer living in Kelowna, Canada. He writes for trade publications like Hoist, Canadian Chiropractor, Grow Opportunity, and Massage Therapy Canada.

References

1. “Gen Z is leading the demand for precision fermentation.” Advanced Biotech. October 5, 2023. https://adv-bio.com/gen-z-is-leading-the-demand-for-precision-fermentation/ (Accessed 2025-07-15). 
2. Specht, L. The science of fermentation. Good Food Institute. 2025. https://gfi.org/science/the-science-of-fermentation/ (Accessed 2025-07-15) 
3. Shapiro P. Making mastodon gummies, Geltor is recreating a truly paleo diet. TechCrunch. March 12, 2018. https://techcrunch.com/2018/03/12/making-mastodon-gummies-geltor-is-recreating-a-truly-paleo-diet/ (Accessed 2025-07-15).