Worldwide attention has been focused by recent events in parts of Africa and Asia on the problem of shortages and maldistribution of food resources. The increasing growth of population, coupled with apparent climatic changes and the rapid escalation of oil prices have contributed to the worsening of the food situation and to the conclusion that the problem will almost certainly become more critical in the future. The hope placed in the “green revolution” has been diminished by the high cost of fertilizer which has placed it out of reach of many of those needing it the most. To meet the critical shortage of world food supplies, intensive research is underway in several countries to develop technology for the massive and economic production of single cell protein (SCP). Most of the research has been based on the fermentation of petroleum products, but due to the rapidly escalating costs of oil based products, attention is shifting to other means of SCP production.