Microbial Fermentation Technology Market Trends

Growth Drivers

• Rising Need for Fermented Food – Fermentation of food is done by regulating microbial development, which involves microorganisms such as yeast and bacteria enzymatically breaking down carbohydrates to produce carbon dioxide, organic acids, or alcohol, and the process also contributes to food sustainability by preserving, securing, and producing food components.
• Increasing Popularity of CRISPR-Cas9 Technology- CRISPR-Cas9 technology transforms bacteria to boost target product yield and is capable of expanding the range of compounds and products available through fermentation.
• Growing Adoption of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning- AI technology is extremely significant in the development of precision fermentation which is based on the use of microbes – mainly yeasts and fungi and may also assist in developing unique food products that meet the growing customer demand for natural, functional, and sustainable food options.

Additionally, Artificial intelligence is now being utilized to control fermentation operations in real time, and it can analyze past data to forecast future outcomes.

• Spiking Cases of Infectious Diseases- This may lead to higher production of vaccines and antiviral drugs which are produced using microbial fermentation technology.
• Rising Need for Gasoline- This has led to an increase in the production of biofuels such as ethanol and butanol which are produced by microbial fermentation that converts sugars derived from lignocellulosic biomass.
• Growing Production of Biosimilars- Biosimilars are produced using are produced by living cells such as bacteria or yeast and are often produced by advanced fermentation technology.
• Higher Usage of Single-Use Bioreactor Systems- Single-use bioreactor Systems (SUB Disposable) can be used for microbial fermentation as they reduce the risk of cross-contamination which helps in meeting the stringent regulations of the pharmaceutical industry.

Challenges

• High Cost of Microbial Fermentation Technology – The research & development for developing a new fermentation process involves a huge cost as it requires skilled labor, high-quality raw materials, and energy-intensive equipment. This may make it difficult for pharmaceutical companies with limited budgets to carry out these processes. Furthermore, setting up a fermentation plant, which includes the cost of labor and other costs incurred to maintain the facility, can easily cost tens to hundreds of millions of dollars.
• Stringent Regularity Requirements for Biopharmaceutical Production
• Risk of Microbial Contamination Leading to Product Loss