Why is yeast protein considered an important source of future food protein?

The 2023 Global Food Crisis Report, jointly released by 16 international organizations including the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, shows that approximately 281 million people in 59 countries and regions worldwide are facing severe food insecurity, and this number has been increasing for five consecutive years. Geopolitical conflicts, extreme weather conditions, and economic crises will continue to worsen the situation. Meanwhile, the United Nations predicts that the world population is expected to grow to 9.7 billion by 2050. The rapid growth of population coupled with rapid changes in dietary habits will create a huge "protein gap" between the global available protein and expected demand in the next 30 years.

In the past, people mainly obtained protein from products such as meat, eggs, and milk. The animal protein obtained through animal husbandry has also paid a huge environmental price as a result. Data shows that animal husbandry now occupies about one-third of the world's land and one-quarter of freshwater, and releases about 15% of greenhouse gases, becoming one of the main sources of greenhouse gas emissions and having a significant impact on global climate change. Therefore, it is urgent to find environmentally friendly and sustainable food sources.
On March 6, 2022, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out at a joint meeting of the agricultural, social welfare, and social security committees of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference that "we must establish a big food concept" and "develop biotechnology and biotechnology industries to obtain heat and protein from plants, animals, and microorganisms. The 2024 government work report points out that we should practice the concept of big agriculture and big food, and always firmly hold the rice bowl in our own hands.

Yeast protein, as a microbial source, has significant advantages in production efficiency. To produce the same weight of protein, it takes several months or years to grow soybeans and raise cows, while yeast protein fermentation and cultivation only require hours. The production efficiency of yeast protein is 2000 times that of animal protein and 800 times that of plant protein.

The production of yeast protein has a low impact and dependence on resources and environment such as farmland, freshwater, and air. In terms of carbon footprint, yeast protein emits about 1/20 of the carbon emissions of animal protein; In terms of water consumption, yeast protein is about 1/200 of animal protein and 1/10 of plant protein; In terms of land area, yeast protein is about 1/100 of animal protein and 1/10 of plant protein. It has low demand for arable land and does not directly compete with crops for fertile soil resources. Yeast protein, as a new food ingredient, occupies less natural resources and has low carbon emissions, making it an environmentally friendly source of protein.

The efficient conversion of yeast protein from traditional grain crops provides a new solution to the problem of insufficient protein supply in China, which is of great significance for innovating the edible protein supply system and supporting the national "food security" and "dual carbon" strategies.