Research on Development and Challenges of Forest Food Resources from an Industrial Perspective—Alternative Protein Food Industry as an Example

Author: mycolabadmin
10/14/2025
View Source

Summary

This research examines how forests can provide alternative protein sources to help solve global hunger and food security issues. Scientists are developing new foods from insects, plants, fungi, and laboratory-grown meat, with markets growing rapidly and companies making significant investments. However, challenges remain including high production costs, consumer concerns about safety and taste, and varying regulations across countries that complicate bringing these products to market globally.

Background

Global food security faces significant challenges from climate change and population growth, with 735 million people experiencing malnutrition in 2022. Forests represent a viable and underutilized source of diverse protein resources including insects, plants, microorganisms, and biomanufactured proteins. The forest food industry presents a low-carbon, sustainable alternative to conventional protein production systems.

Objective

This review systematically synthesizes the global development landscape of alternative livestock-derived protein food industries derived from forest resources from a technological innovation perspective. It aims to analyze the current status, opportunities, and challenges of forest protein resources and propose strategies to mitigate barriers to commercialization and market adoption.

Results

The review identified significant advancements: edible insect market valued at USD 3.2 billion in 2023 with projected growth to USD 7.6 billion by 2028; plant-based protein market expected to grow from USD 25.19 billion in 2022 to USD 69.8 billion by 2030; microbial fermentation proteins projected to account for 22% of the USD 290 billion alternative protein market by 2035; and cell-cultured meat advancing from laboratory scale toward commercial production. Over 1000 global companies are involved in alternative protein production, with cumulative investments reaching USD 2.8 billion in biofabricated proteins alone.

Conclusion

While substantial technological progress has been achieved in forest-derived protein development, commercialization requires addressing systemic challenges including insufficient resource exploration, incomplete nutritional and safety evaluation systems, high production costs, low consumer acceptance, and imperfect regulatory mechanisms. Future success requires integrated approaches strengthening resource exploration, clarifying nutritional bases, promoting multi-technology integration, and establishing sound market access systems.

Published in:Foods,
Study Type:Review,
Source: PMID: 41154039