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[The CIVIS Newsroom ](https://civis.eu/en/the-civis-newsroom) 2. Feeding the world without farming: industrial-scale biotech production of proteins and vitamins, economically viable Feeding the world without farming: industrial-scale biotech production of proteins and vitamins, economically viable ====================================================================================================================== CIVIS Highlights 9 September 2026 Researchers at University of Tübingen announce a significant step toward producing food without traditional farming. By testing the practical implementation of a two-step process optimized in the laboratory, they demonstrated that an innovative microbe-based system for manufacturing proteins and vitamin B9 could be both technically scalable and economically viable. ![](https://civis.eu/storage/files/ut2.jpg)Jörg Jäger / University of TübingenThe study suggests that a large industrial facility powered by electricity and fed with basic ingredients such as carbon dioxide, hydrogen and oxygen could supply millions of people with essential nutrients while reducing the environmental footprint associated with conventional agriculture and livestock production. The biotechnological processes enable microbes to produce proteins and vitamins for human consumption entirely bypassing livestock farming and agriculture. Because these methods also require energy input, they are popularly called “power-to-protein” and “power-to-vitamin” processes. Environmental biotechnologist Professor Lars Angenent, of the University of Tübingen’s excellence cluster, Control of Microorganisms to Fight Infections (CMFI), has optimized one such process in the laboratory. It is an unique one, in that it comprises two steps, using two different microbes sequentially. Angenent and his team have been working to find out if it can be scaled up to technically and economically viable industrial production. They have found that a production facility capable of supplying 5.6 million people with the recommended daily dose of vitamin B9 and contributing to their protein intake at market prices would pay for itself after just five years. The study has been [published in the journal PNAS.](https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2535684123) Electricity prices, a major impact on overall cost -------------------------------------------------- ![](https://civis.eu/storage/files/ut1.jpg)Jörg Jäger / University of TübingenPower-to-protein and power-to-vitamin plants need energy to operate the bioreactors - containers holding the liquid in which microbes convert raw materials into the desired products. Further energy is required to produce free hydrogen from water. In Angenent’s two-stage bioreactor system, the bacterium *Thermoanaerobacter kivui* reduces carbon dioxide to acetate using hydrogen in an oxygen-free environment during the first production step. The bacterium is undemanding and produces the folic acid required for acetate production. Subsequently, [baker’s yeast](https://civis.eu/en/the-civis-newsroom/power-to-vitamins-microbes-produce-folate-from-simple-basic-ingredients-say-researchers-from-tubingen) – a fungus called *Saccharomyces cerevisiae* – converts the acetate into proteins in the presence of air: > *The yeast itself, enriched with proteins and folic acid, is safe to eat. As a dietary supplement taken in small daily amounts to meet vitamin B9 requirements, it is a safe food”,* says Angenent. *“If the full protein requirement is to be met through microbially produced proteins, the yeast must be purified to remove substances that can trigger gout, for example. In that case, the manufacturing process becomes more complex accordingly.* A two-stage bioreactor facility could provide 5.6 million people with the recommended daily dose of folic acid and 5 percent of their protein needs. “*The products generated would be in the same price range as other protein products derived from yeast, plants, whey, or algae and could likely hold their own against the competition in the food market,”* says Angenent. At a price of 20 dollars per kilogram of the enriched yeast, the production facility would pay for itself in five years. ![](https://civis.eu/storage/files/ut3.jpg)Jörg Jäger / University of Tübingen**Testing revealed no technical problems with scaling up to an industrial facility.** Moreover, the carbon footprint of protein and vitamin production could be significantly reduced compared to production from animals and plants. However, the calculations also showed that, in the power-to-protein and power-to-vitamin processes, the electrochemical processes for hydrogen production in particular would need to be further developed to achieve greater efficiency. Major challenges for conventional agriculture --------------------------------------------- The human body cannot produce all essential nutrients on its own and relies on the intake of certain proteins and vitamins. According to United Nations estimates, as early as 2023, 733 million people – more than nine percent of the world’s population – were suffering from undernourishment. And the numbers are not decreasing, especially in poorer countries, where protein needs already cannot be met. The growing world population and global warming pose major challenges for conventional agriculture. Livestock farming, in particular, uses up a lot of resources and contributes significantly to the release of substances harmful to the environment. ### More details available in the original story, in German. [Weiterlesen](https://uni-tuebingen.de/en/university/news-and-publications/press-releases/press-releases/article/industrial-scale-biotech-production-of-proteins-and-vitamins-economically-viable/) Related news ------------ - [ ![](https://civis.eu/storage/files/tu4-800x600.jpg?token=42f85fa0893bf5ee5771b68ec4d52e1b)A Boost for International Exchange and Cooperation During CIVIS Staff Training in Tübingen Learn 31 July 2026 ](https://civis.eu/en/the-civis-newsroom/boost-international-exchange-cooperation-civis-staff-training-tubingen) - [ ![](https://civis.eu/storage/files/nuraghe-barru2-800x600.jpg?token=d4b52392defb7e7d9295508f8bd0d87f)Sardinian Bronze Age towers repurposed as sacred sites in the Iron Age CIVIS Highlights 11 June 2026 ](https://civis.eu/en/the-civis-newsroom/sardinian-bronze-age-towers-repurposed-as-sacred-sites-in-the-iron-age) - [ ![](https://civis.eu/storage/files/afterrome1-800x600.jpg?token=4397a4b5ab8586378c500fa8daa6cb0b)DNA study rewrites the story of Early Medieval Europe CIVIS Highlights 15 May 2026 ](https://civis.eu/en/the-civis-newsroom/dna-study-rewrites-the-story-of-early-medieval-europe) [Discover all our stories](https://civis.eu/en/the-civis-newsroom) ![CIVIS – Europe’s Civic University Alliance](https://civis.eu/build/assets/civis-CCpvK1nT.svg) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Europe’s Civic University Alliance ![Co-funded by the European Union](https://civis.eu/build/assets/co-funded-by-the-european-union-DSKLW1us.png)Views and opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). 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