FutureFood Technologies: Solutions for the food production of tomorrow

The food industry faces challenges that will fundamentally transform it: dwindling resources, rising quality standards and new technological possibilities are having a huge impact on value chains. The “MaltFungiProtein” (MFP) project alliance made a significant contribution to this transformation process as part of the “Regional Entrepreneurial Alliances for Innovation – RUBIN” initiative funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space. A Steinbeis team led by Heike Fulbrecht (Steinbeis Research Center Technology Management North East) and Frank Graage (Steinbeis Wissens- und Technologietransfer GmbH) spent around four years working with five partners to investigate how brewery by-products can be efficiently processed.

The core of the project: to develop high-quality, protein-rich ingredients from a previously underutilised by-product, brewer’s spent grain, which are suitable for a wide range of applications in the food industry. An initial prototype product is the “Fungi sausage”, in which a fungal protein, produced through fermentation of the spent grain mass, supplements conventional meat. Approval from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is being sought next year for the protein-rich fungal biomass – decisive step on the path to market entry.

Impetus for sustainable food production

Against this backdrop, and with an eye on technological developments that will shape the food production of the future, the specialist conference “FutureFood Technologies” took place in October 2025 at the “Störtebeker Brauquartier” in Stralsund. Around 70 participants from industry, academia and the start-up scene discussed technological developments, practical examples and collaborative approaches for both current and future food production. The focus was on four key themes.

Markets and framework conditions

Retired university professor Dr. Rainer Kühl (Justus Liebig University Giessen) and Dr. Tilman Reinhardt (University of Bayreuth) analysed in their presentations the factors influencing markets for alternative proteins as well as the legal framework for innovative food technologies. They highlighted the importance not only of technical feasibility but also of market acceptance and legal requirements.

Digital transformation along the value chain

David Reinhardt (DMK Group) and Nico Michels (Siemens Industry Software) provided practical insights into how digital technologies are already being used in industry today. It became clear that digital solutions are increasingly becoming a key success factor – in production planning, for improving efficiency, for transparent processes, for targeted support of employees and for informing consumers.

New processes, processing technologies and applications

Jens Reineke-Lautenbacher (Störtebeker Braumanufaktur), Dr. Marco Fraatz (Justus Liebig University Giessen) and Monika Wessel (ZELT gGmbH) provided an insight into the MaltFungiProtein project process. They demonstrated how high-quality fungal proteins are extracted from brewery by-products through innovative fermentation, and explained the chemical, biotechnological and sensory principles involved. The session was complemented by Tatjana Krampitz (GEA Group AG), who highlighted how GEA supports the production of innovative products through its New Food division. Through modern technologies and process solutions, such as precision fermentation, a contribution can be made towards feeding more people with fewer resources and reducing the environmental impact of food production.
 
Collaborations and start-up initiatives

The conference also demonstrated that innovation is increasingly emerging in open, collaborative formats. Examples included the contribution by Dr. Gudrun Mernitz (WITENO GmbH) on hackathons as a driver of value creation in the bioeconomy, and the start-up EAT BEER Biotech, presented by Jan Malte Nordmann. The company emerged from the MaltFungiProtein project and is now taking on the task of further developing the results into a viable business model.