Species selection criteria for sustainable bacterial single cell protein

Single cell protein (SCP) is a promising alternative to animal-derived protein, offering high productivity with low environmental impact. However, SCP performance varies widely across microbial species. This review systematically and quantitatively compares 57 bacterial SCP candidates in terms of safety, protein quality, and production efficiency, integrating multivariate analysis to highlight representative high-performing species and remaining data gaps, and providing a framework for rational species selection toward sustainable protein supply.