The global demand for agricultural crops is increasing due to a rapidly growing world population. However, given
limited possibilities to increase arable land and pressing environmental changes, there is an urgent call for more
sustainable approaches to food production. Microbial biomass (bacteria, yeast, filamentous fungi, microalgae) is
an attractive alternative food source because of its low arable land requirements, low greenhouse gas emissions
and potential health benefits to consumers. Currently only a few microbial derived food products are marketed
for human consumption globally, and consumer acceptance of microbial-derived food sources is relatively low.
Due to its potential as a sustainable food source, interest from industry and R&D groups in microbial biomass
has increased in recent years. Current research and development activities in this area are mainly focused on the
protein fraction of the microbial biomass and more specifically on the production, techno functionality and food
application. However, microbial biomass also includes cell wall fractions, that are rich in fibres/complex
carbohydrates and fatty acids. This fraction deserves at least as much attention as the protein fraction for the
following reasons: 1) Sustainability: total use of the microbial biomass as alternative food source; 2) Valuable
functional properties such as techno-functionality, health benefits and antimicrobial activity. The objective of
the current project is to investigate the value and applicability of the fibre-rich fractions of edible microbial
biomass and to enable the use of these fractions for safe, healthy and sustainable food supply. In addition, the
project will provide a roadmap for potential health benefits and safety evaluation of different types of microbial
biomass and their impact on consumer acceptance of products of microbial origin.