The Bezos Earth Fund has awarded North Carolina State University $30 million over five years to create and lead the Bezos Center for Sustainable Protein, a center of excellence and biomanufacturing hub for dietary proteins. The center will create next-generation foodstuffs that are healthy, sustainable, delicious, accessible and affordable for the world’s growing population.
The Bezos Center for Sustainable Protein at NC State will include numerous partners from academia and industry, as well as chefs and policymakers, to research, create and commercialize new technologies for manufacturing various protein products. It will also provide training for the new workforce needed for advanced food processing. The center will also work with consumers to gauge their protein perceptions and preferences.
“North Carolina has a rich history in the food and beverage industry, beginning with our roots in agriculture. Along with our leadership in research and development, life sciences and our world-class education systems, North Carolina is an ideal location for a biomanufacturing hub such as the Bezos Center for Sustainable Protein,” said Christopher Chung, CEO of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina. “We congratulate NC State on receiving this grant and look forward to witnessing the innovative work to come from the Bezos Center for Sustainable Protein.”
Advances in food processing are a critical component of the grant. NC State has wide-ranging experience in food processing – from solving food engineering challenges to testing new products with sensory panels of consumers. An NC State facility at the NC Research Campus in Kannapolis, the NC Food Innovation Lab (NCFIL), helps food processors and entrepreneurs create innovative food products and solve production issues. NCFIL clients come from many food industry sectors, including plant proteins and fermented foods.
“Alternative proteins are unlikely to displace animal proteins,” said Bill Aimutis, co-principal investigator on the grant and co-director of the new center who has experience working with sustainable protein producers and start-up companies. “It is difficult to create an alternative protein product that rivals the flavor and texture of meat and that is also appealing and affordable for consumers. This center is more interested in growing the sustainable protein industry as another option for consumers rather than displacing animal proteins.”
The grant will also fund work in three areas: Research and Development, Workforce Development and Capacity Building. The Research and Development team will strive to improve the palette of materials used to extract proteins or to use as raw materials for fermentation and cell cultivation; make manufacturing processes for alternative protein products more efficient and less costly, using advanced biotechnology and manufacturing methods; and train the center’s faculty and students on innovation and intellectual property as well as commercialization models, tools and strategies to facilitate new technology transfer to industry.
The Workforce Development team aims to set standards for educating and training students and personnel in advanced food technologies; ensure that curricula span all age and grade levels as well as professional training; and implement programs that extend NC State’s Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center’s groundwork in pharmaceuticals to advanced food technologies.
The Capacity Building team will reach out to community stakeholders, such as consumers, farmers and chefs, to understand their perceptions, preferences and expectations of sustainable protein foods and use the results to inform outreach strategies. It will also conduct workshops with industry members and regulators to understand policy and regulatory trends, drivers, barriers and enablers. The Capacity Building team will also create a biennial sustainable protein boot camp for stakeholders from countries that will benefit the most from nature and climate benefits of alternative protein technology.
NC State will also work with NC A&T State University, Duke University, the University of North Carolina-Pembroke, and North Carolina community colleges to facilitate industry internships and mentorships for this project.