Precision fermentation is showing up in everything from food dyes to dairy protein, but what is it, really? In this overview post, we break down how it works, what it makes, and what it means for ingredient safety.
Top Takeaways:
- Precision fermentation is an advanced form of fermentation that uses specialized microorganisms to produce specific ingredients, such as proteins, enzymes, and fats.
- It’s already safely used in food, medicine, and consumer products (e.g., insulin, rennet for cheese, and some vitamins).
- As with any ingredient, safety depends on the final product, exposure, and intended use, not the production method.
What is precision fermentation?
Fermentation is a biological chemical process in which microorganisms, such as yeast and bacteria, convert sugars into other compounds, and humans have used it for millennia to produce foods and beverages like beer, bread, and yogurt.
Precision fermentation takes the fermentation process and uses new tools developed from synthetic biology and metabolic engineering to guide microorganisms to produce specific ingredients, including proteins, enzymes, and vitamins, on demand and with high accuracy.
It’s currently widely used in food, medicine, and consumer products (e.g., insulin, rennet for cheese, and some vitamins).
How does precision fermentation work?
At a high level, precision fermentation works by a scientist or manufacturer:
- Identifying the ingredient that needs to be produced (e.g., a milk protein, enzyme, or vitamin).
- Identifying the right microorganism, like yeast, bacterium, or a fungus, to produce the desired cells.
- Using genetic engineering to introduce or modify specific genetic sequences in microbial hosts to direct the biosynthesis of a target compound, such as a protein or enzyme.
- Growing the microorganism in a controlled environment (like a fermentation tank).
- Harvesting and purifying the ingredient for use in foods or other products.
The process allows scientists and manufacturers to produce ingredients identical or very similar to those found in nature, without relying on the original source (such as animals or large-scale agriculture).
What kinds of ingredients can precision fermentation produce?
Precision fermentation can produce a wide range of food-relevant compounds, including:
- Aroma compounds, which contribute to taste and smell in foods and beverages
- Enzymes used to process foods and improve texture and shelf life
- Flavorings and colorants, like food dyes
- Functional ingredients, like fats, antioxidants, or preservatives
- Proteins, for example, dairy proteins like whey and egg proteins like albumin
- Specialized carbohydrates, such as human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) used in infant nutrition
- Stabilizers and emulsifiers, which help maintain texture and consistency in products like sauces and dairy alternatives
- Sweeteners, like fermentation-derived alternatives to traditional sugar (e.g., stevia components)
- Vitamins and bioactive compounds, for example, B vitamins
Many of these ingredients are traditionally sourced from animals or plants. Precision fermentation enables them to be produced without relying on those original sources, while maintaining an identical or similar structure and function.
Why does precision fermentation matter?
Many ingredients we enjoy can come from agricultural and/or animal sources that are heavily dependent on land, water, and complex supply chains. Precision fermentation enables efficient, scalable production of ingredients with fewer resources, offers sustainability benefits compared to traditional agriculture, delivers consistent quality through controlled processes, and makes it possible to create ingredients that are difficult or impossible to source conventionally.
Moreover, the technology has the potential to help create more sources of natural colors, specific fats, and even allergen-free proteins.
How is precision fermentation different than other forms of fermentation?
We can define fermentation in three broad categories:
- Traditional fermentation that uses natural microbes to transform food (e.g., yogurt, kimchi).
- Biomass fermentation that grows microorganisms as food themselves (e.g., protein-rich fungi).
- Precision fermentation that uses genetically engineered microbes to produce a specific ingredient (e.g., food colorant).
Are ingredients created from precision fermentation safe to use and consume?
Yes, when used and consumed as intended, ingredient products by precision fermentation are safe.
Remember, it is important to separate how something is made from the question of safety, because safety isn’t determined by the production method. Safety requires investigating the
- identity of the final ingredient.
- dose and exposure.
- quality and consistency of manufacturing.
- weight of evidence.
In the U.S., ingredients produced using precision fermentation are evaluated through established frameworks, such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s safety review processes, including the GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) pathway.
What else should I know about precision fermentation?
Like most ingredients, precision fermentation is not inherently good or bad. It’s another tool we have to produce complex compounds (typically) with lower environmental impact and greater quality control.
From an ingredient safety perspective, the key questions remain the same:
- What is the ingredient?
- How much are people exposed to?
- What does the weight of evidence say?
Focusing on these fundamentals helps us focus on the safety, rather than unnecessary fears.
Is precision fermentation GMO?
While the microorganisms used in precision fermentation are often genetically modified, meaning specific genes are inserted to give the microorganism enhanced production capabilities, the final products are usually molecularly identical to what we’d find in nature, with no modified genetic material present.
The way they are produced does not impact the safety value, even if modified genetic materials are present. GMO ingredients are safe when consumed and used as intended.
The good news.
Precision fermentation may feel new, but it’s an extension of a long-standing technology. It offers a way to produce ingredients more efficiently, consistently, and potentially more sustainably, while still being evaluated through the same evidence-based safety frameworks used for other ingredients.
If you have any questions about ingredients or ideas for a blog post, please send us an email or submit your idea to us at go.msu.edu/cris-idea.
Citations and further reading.
Augustin, M. A., Hartley, C. J., Maloney, G., & Tyndall, S. (2024). Innovation in precision fermentation for food ingredients. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 64(18), 6218–6238. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2023.2166014
Boukid, F., Ganeshan, S., Wang, Y., Tülbek, M. Ç., & Nickerson, M. T. (2023). Bioengineered enzymes and precision fermentation in the food industry. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 24(12), 10156. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241210156
Chai, K. F., Ng, K. R., Samarasiri, M., & Chen, W. N. (2022). Precision fermentation to advance fungal food fermentations. Current Opinion in Food Science, 47, 100881. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cofs.2022.100881
Cho, S., Jung, S. Y., Eun, H., & Lee, S. Y. (2025). Precision fermentation for producing food ingredients. Current Opinion in Food Science, 61, 101242. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cofs.2024.101242
Mefleh, M., & Darwish, A. (2024). Fermentation: An old and new tool for improved alternative proteins and plant-based foods. In Handbook of plant-based food and drinks design (pp. 155–163). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-443-16017-2.00014-0
Shiferaw Terefe, N. (2022). Recent developments in fermentation technology: Toward the next revolution in food production. In Food engineering innovations across the food supply chain (pp. 89–106). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-821292-9.00026-1
Sturme, M., van der Berg, J. P., & Kleter, G. (2025). Precision fermentation: With a focus on food safety. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. https://doi.org/10.4060/cd4448en
Teng, T. S., Chin, Y. L., Chai, K. F., & Chen, W. N. (2021). Fermentation for future food systems: Precision fermentation can complement the scope and applications of traditional fermentation. EMBO Reports, 22(5), e52680. https://doi.org/10.15252/embr.202152680
Verma, K., Duhan, P., Pal, D., Verma, P., & Bansal, P. (2025). Precision fermentation for the next generation of food ingredients: Opportunities and challenges. Future Foods, 12, 100750. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fufo.2025.100750