Understanding the functional properties of microbial proteins

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There is growing demand for sustainable protein across the food, feed and allied chemical sector in response to increasing population and environmental footprint concerns. This had led to a demand for alternative sources of proteins, other than those from animal origin. Single-cell proteins (SCPs) from microbial biomass show potential to help fill the protein gap while also providing micronutrients and other health benefits. Strains of bacteria, fungi (such as yeast) and microalgae have been used safely in food and feed applications for centuries and are being explored as sources of alternate proteins. Hence, it is important to understand how these SCPs work mechanistically in terms of functional and mouthfeel performance. This work aims to review the current understanding of techno-functional performance of SCPs and pinpoint the knowledge gap in the field.Preliminary findings from literature reveal that whole microbial cells from bacteria, microalgae and yeast can function as colloidal particles to stabilise Pickering emulsions (1). Although extensive work on functional performance such as interfacial property and rheology have been carried out on algal biomass, work on SCPs from other microbial origin such as yeast remain principally unexplored. More importantly, the tribological and mouthfeel performance of SCPs from alternative sources such as those of yeast are rarely investigated. Detailed investigation of physio-chemical, mechanical and sensorial properties of SCPs is necessary before such biomass can be used to create low emission foods to tackle nutrition demands of growing population, while also ensuring food security and planetary health. By exploring their mechanism of action, their range of application can be broadened to other allied areas in the chemical sector.