Turning Sustainable Protein Into Reality
Precision Fermentation of Proteins: Safe, Scalable, Sustainable
From lab innovation to consumer-ready protein
Wageningen Future Food Institute (WFFI) is committed to developing functional proteins through precision fermentation. Our goal is to create safe, nutritious, and sustainable products, while ensuring harmony with nature and long-term economic viability.
Conventional farming practices are unsustainable, contributing heavily to environmental damage through emissions, deforestation, and resource depletion, while also raising ethical concerns about animal welfare. Precision fermentation directly addresses these issues by offering a sustainable, efficient, and ethical alternative for protein production.
Based in Wageningen, we are building a research hub to strengthen our platform and support local startups in precision fermentation. By sharing our strain development platform, custom-built instruments, and co-developing AI applications in biology, we aim to drive innovation in close collaboration with our business partners.
We are currently working closely with industry for lab and pilot-scale production, and we actively seek new partnerships to accelerate progress.
Current Focus
Present in trace amounts in bovine milk but relatively abundant in human breast milk, lactoferrin plays a key role in supporting immunity, modulating inflammation, and more.
Producing 1 kg of lactoferrin using traditional methods requires approximately 10,000 liters of bovine milk.
High raw material utilization, environmentally friendly, replicates the functional properties of natural proteins, and is feasible for large-scale production.
Thaumatin, one of our sweet proteins, is up to 3,000 times sweeter than sugar yet metabolized like a typical protein.
Current production relies on plant extraction, which cannot meet the demands of a billion-dollar market.
Inspired by nature, this sweet protein—produced through precision fermentation—is free from concerns like weight gain, heart disease, diabetes, tooth decay, and more
Research Projects
Exploring cutting-edge biotechnology solutions for sustainable protein production and food innovation

Lactoferrin (since 2023)
This project focuses on the production of bovine lactoferrin using genetically engineered microbes, with an emphasis on addressing key challenges such as replicating essential post-translational modifications (including glycosylation and iron-binding), enhancing production yield and purity, and ensuring functional equivalence to native lactoferrin through rigorous validation.
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Sweet Proteins (since 2025)
This project focuses on the production of the sweet protein Thaumatin using genetically engineered microbes, with an emphasis on overcoming key challenges such as achieving proper protein folding, optimizing expression yield and purity, and validating sensory properties and sweetness profile to ensure functional equivalence to plant-derived Thaumatin.
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"3S
Safe Sustainable Scalable
Frequently Asked Questions
For more, view our full list of FAQs.
How do you support research and business partners?
+We offer support across several key areas: strain development, technical solutions, and pilot- or lab-scale production, including related automation and instrumentation development. Additionally, we provide expertise in protein design and property optimization, enhanced by the integration of AI technologies. Read more.
What activities will you be involved in?
+We will take part in building an academic–industrial network focused on advancing precision fermentation. Together with our partners from both academia and industry, we aim to address universal challenges such as scale-up and the complexity of polycystronic expression. At the same time, we will contribute by providing advanced instrumentation, a genetic strain development platform, and cutting-edge AI technologies—fostering innovation and accelerating progress in precision fermentation through an open and collaborative approach. To discuss potential collaborations, please contact us.
Why did you choose to be located in Wageningen?
+WFFI is an organization founded by graduates of Wageningen University. We aim to leverage the university's strong expertise in food and microbiology, as well as its open and creative environment, to advance sustainable protein production. To accelerate this development, we actively seek funding collaborations with research groups at WUR, while also offering internship opportunities, sharing our knowledge, laboratory facilities, instruments, and platforms. Our mission and core values are closely aligned with those of WUR and Wageningen city. To know what we can do for you, please contact us.
How do you secure funding to operate this institute?
+At the early stage, we relied on seed funding obtained through personal networks and contributions from our founders. To ensure sustainability, we are now focusing on generating revenue by offering specialized services, providing access to our lab facilities and instruments, and forming partnerships with industry and academia. In parallel, we are actively pursuing public grants and subsidies to support foundational research and cover essential operational costs. Our approach combines resourcefulness, collaboration, and strategic funding to support the institute's long-term development.
Do you plan to develop your own branded products?
+Yes, we plan to develop our own branded products as part of our long-term strategy. These products will be based on innovations originating from our research and development activities. In doing so, we will ensure full compliance with Dutch and EU regulations, including necessary certifications and safety standards. Our goal is to create impactful, science-based solutions that contribute to sustainable protein production and align with our mission as a research-driven institute. Read more.
Areas for Collaboration

Engineered Microbial Strain Development

Automation & Instrumentation for Bioproduction
