Sustainable protein development strategy to Meet the Growing Global Demand for Alternative Proteins
Angel Yeast, a global leader in yeast manufacturing, has officially completed the topping out of the main plant for the industrial yeast protein production project at Baiyang Yichang, which will generate 11,000 tons of yeast protein annually. To develop new sustainable food products and alternative proteins globally, the company uses advanced fermentation technologies and biomanufacturing capabilities.
Traditional protein production, from cereal and legume cultivation to dairy farming, is time-consuming and may struggle to meet future demands for quantity, quality, and sustainable supply. Therefore, there is an urgent need to innovate large-scale, low-cost, and high-quality protein production methods. Angel Yeast has achieved the breakthrough to extract proteins from yeast, only taking hours, boosting production efficiency significantly. To meet the growing market demands, it is expanding production capacity and the 11,000-ton production line is expected to be put into operation in 2025.
Yeast protein boasts significant environmental advantages by effectively lowering dependence on land and water resources and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The carbon dioxide emissions associated with producing yeast protein are approximately 1/20 of those from animal protein. AngeoPro by Angel Yeast has broadened the application of yeast protein significantly. The products range from protein bars, high-protein cereals and chips to yeast protein powder, cookies and alternative meats.
“AngeoPro is boasting 80% higher protein content and a 96% protein utilization rate that surpasses nearly all plant-based proteins. It also provides the nine essential amino acids needed by the human body which account for 47% of total amino acids, while in comparison whey protein is 46% essential amino acids, while plant proteins are usually only 35 to 40% , making AngeoPro yeast protein a nutritionally advantaged and highly efficient source of high-quality protein,” said Zhang Yan, assistant general manager of Angel Yeast and dean of the Angel Yeast Research Institute.
Bruce Friedrich, founder and CEO of Good Food Institute, recently noted that, Asia-Pacific region’s demand for meat is expected to account for 50 percent of the global total by 2050. He compared alt protein development to that of solar and electric vehicles a decade ago, which was not seen as a viable choice of energy transformation at that time but is now mainstream. With the costs of yeast protein coming down dramatically, the global and Asian markets are quickly responding to the trends and promoting the potential technologies.