Helsinki, Finland—Finnish dairy cooperative Valio and VTT Technical Research Center of Finland are launching a project to research what kinds of food industry raw materials could be produced using cellular agriculture.
The research project will develop technology for biotechnologically produced proteins. In cellular agriculture, food is produced in bioreactors with microbes.
The new joint project by Valio and VTT will develop technology for biotechnologically produced proteins. In the method, the producer organism, such as a fungus, is instructed to produce the desired protein. To live in the fermentation tank, the fungus uses sugar and other nutrients, and secretes protein into the growth medium.
The United Nations predicts the world population will grow to 9.8 billion by 2050, according to 2015 population prospects. Globally, the demand for food will double, and it must be produced with half the current emissions, Valio said.
“We also need new food production methods alongside sustainable, traditional agriculture. A key question is how to produce more food for the globally growing population without needing more arable land,” said Harri Kallioinen, senior vice president, research and development at Valio.
“Alongside traditional food production, cellular agriculture is one of the possible solutions to feeding the growing population,” Kallioinen continued. “We are currently studying what kinds of food industry raw materials could be produced with microbes.”
“Cellular agriculture makes it possible to produce a variety of raw materials and end products, from purified proteins or fats to multidimensional cell structures,” said Emilia Nordlund, VTT research manager.
“Animal-based products like milk or meat are complex. They are made up of many different compounds and structures that are very difficult to fully replicate in their entirety,” Kallioinen said.
“Cellular agriculture is best suited for the production of individual raw material components.
That’s why we see that both have a place in future food production,” Kallioinen commented.
Kallioinen also noted that there are “certain cellular agriculture challenges that we have to solve. For example, a lot of low-cost and low-carbon energy is needed in order for the large-scale production of proteins in fermentation tanks to be feasible.”
