International Consortium to transform CO₂ into food

Acetate instead of sugar in fermentation

Since 2023, the Acetate Consortium has been working on a novel approach to food production that replaces sugar in fermentation processes with acetate (a substance already present in the metabolism of the microorganisms used for fermentation), derived from CO₂.

The long-term vision is to address food insecurity and climate change while limiting the pressure on land and water resources for agricultural and food production.

Scaling technology is the next step

In the second phase, the consortium will scale the technology and develop food prototypes for consumer testing.

Researchers at IFRO, in collaboration with other consortium members, will calibrate the new technology in a global macroeconomic model, develop and quantify possible adoption pathways, and analyse potential economic and environmental impacts at local and global scales.

“We are very excited about this opportunity to strengthen IFRO’s research capability in integrated environmental-economic modelling while also contributing to highly relevant societal debates on alternative sustainability pathways”, says Professor Mette Termansen.

Close collaboration across sectors is key

Denmark’s strong tradition of collaboration between research and industry in food production and biosolutions provides a solid foundation for translating new technologies into tangible products.

The Danish gastronomic scene also offers a unique culture of food experimentation, which the consortium will benefit from through the inclusion of Spora, founded by Rasmus Munk, head chef at the two-star Michelin restaurant Alchemist in Copenhagen.

“The strong consortium increases the innovation potential of the project, and I am very excited to be able to reenforce the analysis of the potential economic impacts of new technological developments in the agri-food sector”, says Professor Wusheng Yu.

Bypassing sugar to save land and water use

The Acetate Consortium has developed an integrated platform that converts CO₂ into acetate, which is then used to ferment single-cell and precision proteins. This method eliminates the need for sugar in fermentation which in turn significantly reduces land and water use.

Consortium partners

• Topsoe
• Novonesis
• Orkla Foods
• Spora ApS
• Novo Nordisk Foundation CO₂ Research Center (CORC)
• Department of Biological and Chemical Engineering, Aarhus University
• Department of Food Science (FOOD), University of Copenhagen
• Department of Food and Resource Economics (IFRO), University of Copenhagen
• Northwestern University (USA)
• Copenhagen Process