ADVANCED FOOD BIOTECHNOLOGY — A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW (2025)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.71000/vtxqq662Keywords:
precision fermentation, synthetic biology, food enzymes, ; probiotics, cultivated meat, ; regulatory frameworksAbstract
Background: Food biotechnology has evolved from traditional fermentation techniques to an advanced era driven by synthetic biology, precision fermentation, genome editing, and cultivated food systems. These innovations have opened opportunities to address global challenges in nutrition, sustainability, and food safety. The integration of omics, machine learning, and process intensification has further accelerated product development, while regulatory frameworks such as FDA GRAS notices and EFSA’s QPS list continue to adapt to ensure consumer safety.
Objective: The purpose of this narrative review is to synthesize recent developments in advanced food biotechnology, highlighting enabling technologies, applications, and regulatory frameworks, while critically examining challenges and research gaps.
Main Discussion Points: Key enabling platforms include precision fermentation, CRISPR-based genome editing, and AI/ML-guided strain and process engineering. Applications span precision-fermented dairy proteins, single-cell proteins, cultivated meats, next-generation probiotics, postbiotics, phage-based biopreservation, and specialty metabolites. Analytics such as whole-genome sequencing and multi-omics approaches have become essential for quality assurance and outbreak surveillance. Safety and regulatory perspectives from the U.S., EU, and international jurisdictions reveal both progress and disparities, particularly in the treatment of novel proteins and gene-edited organisms. Challenges persist in scaling production, reducing costs, standardizing safety assessments, and achieving consumer acceptance.
Conclusion: Advanced food biotechnology represents a paradigm shift with significant potential to reshape nutrition and sustainability. While the evidence base is promising, long-term safety, scalability, and regulatory harmonization remain critical priorities. Addressing these gaps through multidisciplinary research and transparent policy development will be essential to translate innovation into mainstream clinical and dietary practice.
References
Hilgendorf, K., et al. (2024). Precision fermentation for improving quality, flavor, and functionality. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 144, 30–41.
Knychala, M. M., et al. (2024). Precision fermentation as an alternative to animal protein. Fermentation, 10(2), 200.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (2020). GRAS Notice No. 863 — β-lactoglobulin produced by Trichoderma reesei (Perfect Day) (No Questions Response Letter).
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (2025). GRAS Notices — various whey protein ingredients (Remilk, Imagindairy, Vivici) (No Questions Response Letters).
EFSA Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes and Processing Aids (2024). Qualified Presumption of Safety (QPS): assessment updates. EFSA Journal, 8882, 1–25.
Nature Food. (2023). Collection: The future of food—cellular agriculture and fermentation-led proteins. Retrieved from Nature.com.
Congressional Research Service. (2023, July). Cell-Cultivated Meat and Regulatory Framework. CRS Report.
USDA/FSIS. (2023, June 21). News Release: USDA begins inspections for cell-cultured meat facilities.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2022, November 16). FDA Constituent Update: First premarket consultation for cultured animal cells (UPSIDE Foods).
ISAPP. (2021). Consensus statement: The definition and scope of postbiotics. Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology, 18(9), 649–667.
FDA GRAS Notices — Salmonella-specific bacteriophage preparations (2024, No Questions Response Letters).
FDA GenomeTrakr Network. (2024). Overview of the distributed whole-genome sequencing system for food safety surveillance.
Reagan-Udall Foundation. (2024). GenomeTrakr: Impact and network expansion (Fast Facts).
Nature Microbiology. (2024). Multi-omics analysis of oncom fermentation dominated by Neurospora intermedia.
Hilgendorf, K., & GFI (2025). The science of fermentation: a landscape of precision fermentation and cellular agriculture. Good Food Institute Report.
Reviews on computational protein design and AI/ML in fermentation (2023–2025)—e.g., “Machine learning for enzyme engineering” in Biotechnology Advances, 2024.
Digital twin and model predictive control applications in bioprocessing (2023–2025) — e.g., Journal of Process Control, 2024.
Reviews of regulatory developments for gene editing (2023–2025) — e.g., “NGT policy frameworks” in Trends in Biotechnology, 2024.
Technical note: Use of NGS for food safety and GenomeTrakr integration (Illumina, 2025).
FDA WGS Program updates and outbreak case studies (2022–2025).
Clinical and regulatory studies on next-generation probiotics like Akkermansia muciniphila (2019–2024) — e.g., Frontiers in Microbiology, 2023.
Kawacka, I., et al. (2020). Efficacy of Listeria phage P100 in ready-to-eat foods: A review. Letters in Applied Microbiology, 71(6), 462–469.
UC Davis Cultivated Meat Initiative. (2025). Timeline of U.S. federal regulation.
Yang H, Hao L, Jin Y, Huang J, Zhou R, Wu C. Functional roles and engineering strategies to improve the industrial functionalities of lactic acid bacteria during food fermentation. Biotechnol Adv. 2024;74:108397.
Guo H, Xue S, Dong N, Zhang Y, Dai Y, Chen Y, et al. Enhancing menaquinone-7 biosynthesis by optimized fermentation strategies and fed-batch cultivation of food-derived Bacillus subtilis. J Sci Food Agric. 2025;105(11):5973-85.
Xin Y, Guo T, Qiao M. Current application and future prospects of CRISPR-Cas in lactic acid Bacteria: A review. Food Res Int. 2025;209:116315.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Muhammad Usama Aslam, Esha Aslam, Muhammad Shahbaz (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
