Innovation Signal 61 (2026) | 28 September 2026
Electricity and CO₂ are opening new routes to protein production
Short note, about 5 minutes to read.
What happened
Most of the protein we eat comes from plants or animals. But protein can also be produced by growing microorganisms, such as bacteria or yeast, in controlled conditions.
Researchers are developing ways to link their growth to electricity and carbon dioxide (CO₂), reducing reliance on conventional agricultural feedstocks.
In one approach, electricity splits water into hydrogen and oxygen. Certain bacteria use the hydrogen for energy and take in CO₂ as they grow. Their resulting biomass contains protein that could potentially be processed into food or animal-feed ingredients (single-cell protein).
Recent research is making progress through two different production routes.
Xi’an Jiaotong University → protein production at pilot scale
Researchers at Xi’an Jiaotong University, working with collaborators, demonstrated a system that supplies electrically generated hydrogen and oxygen to protein-producing bacteria. In a 100-litre pilot system, the resulting biomass contained approximately 60% crude protein.
Jiangnan University → protein from CO₂-derived ethanol
Separately, researchers at Jiangnan University demonstrated a different route. They used electricity to convert CO₂ into ethanol, which yeast could then use to produce protein.
Their experimental work showed that the chemical and biological steps could be connected, although the process remains at an early stage.
Why this matters
Conventional protein production depends heavily on agriculture, including the land, water and feedstocks needed to grow crops and raise animals.
Producing protein using microorganisms could provide another source of food and feed ingredients, with production less directly tied to agriculture.
These approaches would not replace farming. But they could give food and feed producers more flexibility in how and where protein is made.
Who should care
- Food and animal-feed producers
- Companies developing alternative proteins and industrial biotechnology
- Agricultural and food-technology researchers
- Energy and carbon-utilisation companies
- Governments and organisations responsible for food security
- Industrial fermentation and processing companies
- Investors tracking emerging food-production technologies
What could change over the next 2 to 3 years
The real test will be producing useful quantities of protein consistently over longer operating periods.
Watch for larger systems that maintain protein output while improving how efficiently they use electricity and carbon-derived inputs.
Further testing could also establish which production routes are suitable for particular food or animal-feed applications.
What might block this
Electricity is a major input, so its cost and availability will affect whether these production methods become competitive.
The systems also need to maintain reliable microbial growth. Managing gases, operating equipment continuously and processing the resulting protein could become more difficult at larger scales.
Food and feed applications will require appropriate safety, quality and regulatory assessments.
The recent demonstrations show technical progress, but they do not yet establish that electricity-linked protein production can compete economically with established sources at commercial scale.
Why I am sharing this
Making protein without growing crops or raising animals may sound like an unusual approach to food production.
But if these processes continue to improve, some protein production could eventually take place in industrial facilities that are less dependent on the location of agricultural resources.
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Archive Tags
Alternative Protein · Single-Cell Protein · Industrial Biotechnology · Carbon Utilisation