OVERVIEW
The idea of using microbes for food is one out of the box for sure. We use microbes in food preparation daily – from bread to beer, kimchi to sourkraut. But multiplying them over all limits and using them as a main ingredient is something entirely different. And it opens up a whole new set of tasters and cooking techniques not used before. And people are already developing this idea into reality which is truly fascinating. There is a good review article from 2022, here I will only highlight some of the ideas, old and new, that I came across. If you happen to know more, please drop me a line in the comments below.
Food from electricity
First there is this magical powder consisting of 65–70% protein, 5–8% fat, 10–15% dietary fiber and 3–5% mineral nutrients. Solein is made from Xanthobacter species, which are grown in a fermentation process. Water is split with electricity into hydrogen and oxygen. The cells are fed CO2, hydrogen and mineral nutrients. Truly amazing – no actual food for microbes is needed, just CO2, electricity and mineral nutrients. And you get a surprising nutritious mix.
The Solein powder was already promoted to the public, with great success at the high end of dining. Too bad it is not available yet to the public all over the world, since I would really like to experiment with it.
Food from by-products
Another magical powder is this one. It contains up to 50% protein and 35% fibre and is made from by-products from food, agri and forest industries. It uses a fungus Paecilomyces variotii to ferment the by-products to mycoprotein, which is isolated and used. Currently it is used for animal feed, but it is expected to be available to the food industry in 2026. Looking forwart to it!
Old friends
Next is a well known spirulina. It is a cyanobacteria and it is fairly easy to grow. As a matter of fact, you can do it at home, and it is fairly simple, just a starter with live bacteria is needed. It uses sunlight for energy so it is closer to plants than other microbes, which makes it especially easy to grow. Think of it as a salad in water. Spirulina is an excellent source of proteins. Since it contains more than 50% of proteins. Apart from that, it also contains a lot of nutrients and vitamins, therefore it is often described as a super food and used as a food supplement for vegans. Since it has been around for some time, there are a lot of interesting recipes, from the obvious ones like smoothies, to spirulina avocado spreads, soups and muffins.
Invisible friends
There is one microbe that everybody knows of, or at least consumes: yeast. Yeast is commonly used and consumed in brewing and baking. But it can be also consumed as a stand alone ingredient as, for instance as nutritional yeast or yeast based products like Vegemite or Marmite. Yeast is a good source of minerals, vitamins and amino acids. Obviously it cannot be used to solve humanity’s food problem calorie wise, since it uses sugar for growth. But it is a great way to add critical nutritional elements to our food and thus the calorie exchange is definitely worth it. Additionally it is fairly easy to produce and starters could be stored for a long time in dry or frozen form to be used at a later time. Definitely a microbe that is extremely versatile and important in our nutrition.
Look forward
It is really surprising the extent to which microbes play a role in our food. They are rarely noticed, but they definitely play a crucial role. I am sure that in the future this role will even increase and come more into the spotlight. Use of microbes to directly produce food for our daily calorie needs will probably be crucial in the future. Especially in unusual and space-constrained places – think of space ships or moon bases.
