As global demand for protein continues to grow, the animal feed industry faces increasing pressure to identify alternatives to traditional feed ingredients – options that are not only sustainable and scalable, but also safe.
Emerging technologies in the food system
A new thematic report from the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Food Standards Scotland (FSS) offers a comprehensive assessment of emerging food technologies poised to shape the food system over the next 5–15 years. Although the report takes a regulatory and consumer-safety perspective, its findings hold important implications for the feed sector—particularly in relation to novel proteins.
Accelerating adoption in the feed sector
While many of the technologies examined are primarily aimed at human food markets, their adoption in animal nutrition is accelerating even more rapidly. This is often due to lower entry barriers, more flexible regulatory pathways, and reduced consumer resistance in the feed sector. The study delves into the key novel protein categories identified in the report and considers how each could transform future animal feed strategies.
Biomass fermentation: The most established novel protein source
Among all the novel protein technologies, biomass fermentation is the most mature and commercially relevant for animal feed. The UK has decades of experience with mycoprotein production, and the underlying processes—rapid microbial growth, high-protein biomass, controlled specifications—translate directly to feed applications.
Several attributes make biomass fermentation particularly promising for livestock and aquaculture feed:
- High protein content with favourable amino acid profiles
- Lower land and water use compared with soy and other conventional proteins
- Year-round production, reducing vulnerability to climate and market disruptions
- Consistency and biosafety—closed-system fermentation reduces contamination risks
While mycoprotein for human consumption is subject to novel food approval, feed-grade fungal and bacterial biomass has fewer regulatory hurdles. Consequently, companies are scaling new production facilities in the UK and EU to serve pet food, poultry and aquafeed markets.
Gas fermentation: Turning waste gases into animal protein
One of the most exciting developments for sustainable feed is gas fermentation, which uses microbes to convert industrial gases such as CO₂ or hydrogen into single‑cell protein.
The report highlights early UK pilot projects that have already demonstrated the viability of gas‑fermented protein—particularly for aquafeed and poultry feed trials. For animal feed, the potential benefits are striking:
- Upcycled carbon: turning CO₂ into protein supports circular economy goals
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Rapid production: microbial doubling times outpace plant or insect systems
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Domestic supply resilience: production does not depend on farmland
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Non-seasonal and highly scalable
Regulatory requirements are relatively manageable because feed applications generally face fewer compositional and toxicological constraints than human food.
Insect protein: A category waiting for lift‑off
Although insect‑based foods still face regulatory friction for human consumption, insect protein for feed enjoys a far clearer regulatory environment—particularly for aquaculture and pet food.
Insect meal offers:
- High protein content comparable to fishmeal
- Efficient conversion of waste biomass
- Functional benefits for gut health in fish, poultry and pets
Precision fermentation: Custom proteins for feed?
Precision fermentation has gained major attention for making animal‑free dairy proteins and other functional molecules for human foods. But its potential in feed is underexplored—and could be significant.
As costs fall and capacity grows, PF‑derived proteins could offer:
- Targeted functionality, such as enhanced digestibility
- Tailored amino acid compositions for species‑specific diets
- Bioactive molecules that support gut health or immunity
Algae and seaweed: Niche today, scaling tomorrow
Algal and seaweed ingredients supply oils, fibres and proteins and are already used in specialist feed applications, especially aquafeed.
Key advantages include:
- High-quality omega‑3 oils, reducing reliance on fish oil
- Functional polysaccharides with gut‑health benefits
- Fast production with fewer environmental impacts
Cellular agriculture: Early days, but feed may come first
Cell‑cultivated meat is still years away from mainstream human consumption, but several companies are already exploring cultivated protein for pet food.
Commenting on the report, Dr Thomas Vincent, Deputy Director of Innovation at the Food Standards Agency, said emerging technologies were reshaping how food was produced and sourced.
“The report gives industry and government clear sight of what is coming, and what is required to ensure these products meet the UK’s high standards. The FSA and FSS’s re-emit is central to delivering these ambitions and by working early with innovators we can support safe, responsible growth and build consumer confidence in the foods of the future.”
The report concludes that there is a multi-protein future for UK feed. Taken together, the emerging technologies identified by the FSA and FFSS point to a more diverse and resilient future protein landscape for animal feed. The near‑term leaders for feed are clear:
- Biomass fermentation
- Gas fermentation
- Insect protein
- Algal ingredients
For the animal feed industry, these developments offer significant opportunities to reduce environmental impact, improve nutrition, and create more secure domestic protein supply chains.
