Global Plant Based Biomanufacturing Market By Product Type (Antibodies, Vaccines, Proteins, Biologics, Enzyme, Others) By Technology (Upstream v/s Downstream) By Source (Whole Plant, Plant Cells, Seed, Leaf, Others) By End User (Biotechnology & Pharmaceutical Companies, Contract Manufacturing Organizations, Others) By Region, Competition Forecast & Opportunities, 2021-2031F

Forecast Period	2027-2031
Market Size (2025)	USD 6.81 Billion
CAGR (2026-2031)	4.21%
Fastest Growing Segment	Antibodies
Largest Market	North America
Market Size (2031)	USD 8.72 Billion

Market Overview

The Global Plant Based Biomanufacturing Market will grow from USD 6.81 Billion in 2025 to USD 8.72 Billion by 2031 at a 4.21% CAGR. Global Plant-Based Biomanufacturing involves the utilization of plant systems, including whole crops and plant cell cultures, as production hosts for high-value biological products such as therapeutic proteins, industrial enzymes, and alternative food ingredients. The primary drivers propelling this market include the significant cost advantages of upstream production compared to traditional mammalian cell cultures and the rapid scalability offered by utilizing existing agricultural infrastructure. Furthermore, the inherent safety of plant hosts, which eliminates the risk of human pathogen contamination found in animal-derived systems, serves as a critical operational driver distinct from transient consumer trends.

One substantial hurdle impeding faster market expansion is the complexity and high expenditure associated with downstream processing and purification, which can occasionally offset the savings achieved during the upstream cultivation phase. Despite this technical obstacle, the industry continues to strengthen its manufacturing capabilities to meet long-term demand. According to the Good Food Institute, in 2024, the global sector witnessed the launch, expansion, or announcement of at least 26 new plant-based production facilities, highlighting robust investment in industrial capacity.

Key Market Drivers

Cost-Effective Production and Reduced Capital Expenditure acts as the most transformative driver for the Global Plant Based Biomanufacturing Market. Unlike traditional mammalian cell culture systems that necessitate the construction of expensive, high-maintenance stainless steel bioreactors, plant-based systems utilize agricultural fields or controlled greenhouses as natural production hosts. This fundamental shift dramatically lowers upstream capital investment and operational costs, making the manufacturing of complex proteins economically viable for a broader range of applications. According to BioBetter, August 2025, in the 'Plant Molecular Farming of Growth Factors' white paper, their tobacco plant platform addresses the industry's critical high-cost bottlenecks by enabling the sustainable, scalable production of recombinant proteins without the need for conventional fermentation infrastructure.

Simultaneously, the market is being propelled by the rising global demand for biologics and biosimilars, necessitating alternative production modalities that can meet commercial volume requirements. As patents for blockbuster biologics expire and the need for accessible therapeutics grows, plant-based platforms are proving their commercial capability to deliver approved drugs at scale. This market validation is evident in the financial performance of established sector players. According to Protalix BioTherapeutics, March 2025, in the 'Fiscal Year 2024 Financial and Business Results' report, the company recorded annual revenue of $53.0 million, a 31% increase driven primarily by sales of its plant-cell-expressed therapeutic, Elfabrio. Highlighting the sector's expanding versatility, according to PlantForm Corporation, in 2025, the company initiated a strategic collaboration with Baiya Phytopharm to produce artificial plant-made exosomes, further diversifying the applications of this biomanufacturing approach.

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Key Market Challenges

The extensive complexity and high expenditure associated with downstream processing and purification constitute a significant bottleneck restricting the expansion of the Global Plant-Based Biomanufacturing Market. While plant systems offer upstream scalability, the technoeconomic burden of isolating and purifying target molecules to pharmaceutical or food-grade standards often negates the cost efficiencies gained during cultivation. This stage necessitates sophisticated, capital-intensive infrastructure and expensive consumables, which drastically increases the final cost of goods. Consequently, the inability to achieve price parity with traditional manufacturing methods deters potential commercial partners and limits the technology's adoption to high-margin niche applications rather than mass-market commodities.

This economic hurdle directly hampers market growth by creating a high barrier to entry and stalling the development of necessary industrial capacity. The substantial capital expenditure required for purification facilities makes securing return on investment difficult, leading to a cautious investment climate that starves the sector of essential expansion funds. According to the Good Food Institute, in 2025, the industry faced a constrained capital environment with private investment in plant-based products reported at approximately $309 million. This restricted funding, driven by the financial risks of scaling complex processing infrastructure, directly slows the construction of the supply chains needed to meet global demand.

Key Market Trends

The market is witnessing a distinct surge in the commercialization of plant-made growth factors tailored specifically for the cellular agriculture and cultivated meat sectors. This trend represents a strategic pivot for biomanufacturers who are leveraging their molecular farming platforms to produce animal-free cytokines and growth media components, thereby addressing the critical cost barriers of cell-based meat production while opening a lucrative revenue channel beyond human therapeutics. This industrial scaling is exemplified by recent investments in dedicated manufacturing capacity. According to Silicon Canals, September 2025, in the 'Iceland's ORF Genetics lands €5M to scale plant-based growth factors for cultivated meat; eyes €7M total' report, the company secured €5 million to expand its barley-based MESOkine portfolio, with plans to increase its production capacity fourteenfold by 2027 to support the growing demand from the cultivated meat industry.

Simultaneously, biomanufacturers are increasingly expanding into the high-value cosmetic ingredients sector, utilizing plant systems to synthesize complex bioactive compounds for the premium skincare market. By capitalizing on the consumer shift toward "clean beauty," companies are developing plant-derived epidermal growth factors and collagen that offer superior stability and bio-similarity to mammalian equivalents without the ethical concerns of animal extraction. This efficacy advantage is driving rapid adoption among formulation developers. According to Global Cosmetic Industry, January 2025, in the 'Oleosome-protein Fusions from Core Biogenesis Provide Deep Delivery of Skin Care Actives: Report' article, the company confirmed that its plant-derived oleosome-protein fusions are 10 times more stable than conventional peptide-based actives, validating the superior performance of plant-made ingredients for advanced dermatological applications.

Segmental Insights

The antibodies segment represents the fastest growing category within the global plant-based biomanufacturing market due to substantial cost advantages over traditional mammalian cell culture methods. Manufacturers are increasingly adopting plant expression systems to mitigate the risk of contamination from animal pathogens and to achieve greater scalability. This expansion is further supported by the ability of plant platforms to rapidly produce therapeutic proteins during health crises. Consequently, regulatory validations by authorities like the US Food and Drug Administration have encouraged broader commercial development of plant-derived monoclonal antibodies for treating infectious diseases and cancer.

Regional Insights

North America maintains a leading position in the global plant-based biomanufacturing market, driven by extensive investment in biotechnology and a mature industrial infrastructure. The region benefits from a high concentration of key industry players and rigorous research into molecular farming. Regulatory agencies, such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, provide established guidelines that support the commercialization of plant-derived biologics. Additionally, growing demand for sustainable production methods encourages collaborations between private enterprises and academic institutions. This conducive environment enables the advancement of plant-made pharmaceuticals and proteins across the United States and Canada.

Recent Developments

• In August 2025, Bright Biotech received £1 million in funding from the Advanced Research and Invention Agency's Synthetic Plants programme to advance its biomanufacturing capabilities. This financial support allowed the company to accelerate its research into using chloroplasts within crop plants as high-yield bio-factories for animal-free proteins. The initiative focused on engineering the chloroplast genome to enhance the productivity and stability of recombinant protein expression. This development underscored the growing investment in synthetic biology approaches to plant molecular farming, aiming to create more resilient and efficient production systems for the global biotechnology market.
• In September 2024, Core Biogenesis expanded the commercial application of plant-based biomanufacturing by launching two new active ingredients, Peauvita and Peauforia, for the personal care industry. Utilizing a proprietary method to express proteins in Camelina sativa oilseeds, the company successfully stabilized recombinant growth factors, specifically Epidermal Growth Factor and Fibroblast Growth Factor-2, within natural oleosomes. This product launch addressed persistent stability issues associated with these proteins and marked the company's strategic entry into the cosmetics market. The release demonstrated the industrial scalability of using oilseed crops to manufacture high-performance, animal-free biological actives for consumer products.
• In May 2024, Tiamat Sciences announced a technical advancement in the production of pharmaceutical reagents using its plant-based manufacturing platform. The company successfully expressed T7 polymerase, an enzyme critical for mRNA vaccine synthesis, within its proprietary plant system. This development highlighted the potential of molecular farming to function as a scalable alternative to traditional fermentation for complex enzyme production. By validating the expression of this high-value protein, the company aimed to address supply chain challenges and reduce costs associated with mRNA therapy development, reinforcing the viability of plants as efficient bio-factories for the medical sector.
• In April 2024, Moolec Science achieved a significant regulatory milestone for the global plant-based biomanufacturing market by securing approval from the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. The agency concluded its Regulatory Status Review for the company's genetically engineered soybean, "Piggy Sooy," which produces porcine muscle protein within the plant seeds. This determination confirmed that the modified crop posed no increased pest risk, exempting it from strict movement regulations. The approval represented a major step forward, as it was the first time a molecular farming crop designed for animal protein production cleared this specific regulatory hurdle in the United States.

Key Market Players

• Amyris, Inc.
• Ginkgo Bioworks, Inc.
• Zymergen Inc.
• Evolva Holding SA
• Tate & Lyle PLC
• Molecular Assemblies, Inc.
• Cambia Biologics
• Green Biologics Ltd.
• Novozymes A/S
• Kiverdi, Inc.

By Product Type	By Technology	By Source	By End User	By Region
Antibodies Vaccines Proteins Biologics Enzyme Others	Upstream v/s Downstream	Whole Plant Plant Cells Seed Leaf Others	Biotechnology & Pharmaceutical Companies Contract Manufacturing Organizations Others	North America Europe Asia Pacific South America Middle East & Africa

Report Scope:

In this report, the Global Plant Based Biomanufacturing Market has been segmented into the following categories, in addition to the industry trends which have also been detailed below:

• Plant Based Biomanufacturing Market, By Product Type:

• Antibodies
• Vaccines
• Proteins
• Biologics
• Enzyme
• Others

• Plant Based Biomanufacturing Market, By Technology:

• Upstream v/s Downstream

• Plant Based Biomanufacturing Market, By Source:

• Whole Plant
• Plant Cells
• Seed
• Leaf
• Others

• Plant Based Biomanufacturing Market, By End User:

• Biotechnology & Pharmaceutical Companies
• Contract Manufacturing Organizations
• Others

• Plant Based Biomanufacturing Market, By Region:

• North America
• United States
• Canada
• Mexico
• Europe
• France
• United Kingdom
• Italy
• Germany
• Spain
• Asia Pacific
• China
• India
• Japan
• Australia
• South Korea
• South America
• Brazil
• Argentina
• Colombia
• Middle East & Africa
• South Africa
• Saudi Arabia
• UAE