With demand for coffee expected to dramatically outstrip supply as climate change impacts major growing regions, a start-up is developing bean-free alternatives and plant cell culture from harder coffee plants. Creative solutions are emerging one after another, exploring everything from the way coffee is made.
But does it make sense to grow commercial ingredients like coffee from plant cells in bioreactors, or does this approach only make sense for ultra-high-value plants like saffron?
What is plant cell culture?
Companies that use plant cell culture grow plant cells in bioreactors rather than using sunlight, water, and soil to grow fully grown plants. The main raw material is sugar, but more expensive raw materials are needed to differentiate cells into specific cell types.
The technology is already available on a commercial scale, including the anti-cancer drugs paclitaxel and docetaxel (which contain bioactive compounds found in yew bark, which Phyton Biotech produces through plant cell culture) and the Gaucher disease treatment Eleriso ( (including enzymes). Produced in carrot cell culture by the Israeli company Protalix).
However, the use of this technology to produce food and supplement ingredients such as vanilla, aloe vera, lemon balm, cocoa flavanols, and cannabinoids is relatively new and has only recently become more sophisticated as botanical supply chains become increasingly sophisticated. More and more startup companies are entering this field every year. I was threatened.
Growing coffee in bioreactors (currently being tested on a small scale by start-ups such as France’s STEM and the US’s California Cultured) requires large production volumes, and produces products such as saffron and vanilla. It is considered particularly difficult given its relatively low price compared to
But Puluri, an Israeli cell therapy expert, believes it could make economic sense with the right cell line and technology.
Pluri: “We can do this at a comparable cost and in a much more timely manner.”
talk to agfunder news After announcing plans to spin out its plant cell-based coffee business (Pluri Agtech) into a new subsidiary led by Michal Ogornik, Pluri President and CEO Yaky Yanay explained:
“We’ve designed a system that can basically replace about 1,000 coffee trees at scale, which is a big number. Additionally, you can only harvest coffee from the trees twice a year. However, we can make a large amount of coffee in about 3 weeks.
“If we do this at scale, we can do it in a very timely manner and at a comparable cost. We also have a huge competitive advantage. [over early-stage plant cell culture startups] “Because we have been studying human, animal and plant cells on a large scale for a long time,” Yanay added.
He said Puluri has 20 years of experience in large-scale cell cultures working on cell therapies for regenerative medicine, and most recently in cultured meat through a spin-off company called Ever After Foods, which is backed by Israeli food company Tunuba. They are also working on it.
“So for us, this is not just a theoretical experiment, we can produce hundreds of kilograms in the laboratory. This is not something we intend to develop within five years. We know how to scale it.”
He further added: “We were able to obtain a cell population that has the ability to proliferate tremendously. It’s quite shocking to see the amount of cells that we can produce. We use the same one. [bioreactor] It’s a system for plant cell systems, but we’re adjusting the processes and conditions that plant cells need to be at their best. We also hired experts in the field to establish its biology. [coffee] Plant and build your cell bank. This enables our development team to carry this through to the development and manufacturing process. ”
Process: “We focused on cell lines with significant proliferative potential”
In a nutshell, Puluri takes samples from multiple parts of a plant, including leaves, encourages them to return to a stem cell-like state, and then grows them in sugar culture, Yanai said, but the culture The company does not disclose all ingredients.
“We focused on cell lines with significant proliferative capacity and differentiated them into bean-like cells. They grow as aggregates and then harvest the biomass, dry it and roast it. To do.”
Because roasting cellular biomass is not the same as roasting regular coffee beans (biomass is more fragile), Pururi needs to come up with a gentler approach to protect the coffee, Yanai added. “We use a less aggressive method, which is beneficial in that it uses less energy and the process is shorter.
“The final product looks, smells and tastes like ground coffee you buy at the supermarket. And what’s quite surprising is that by changing the growing conditions, we can control parameters such as the level of caffeine in the final product. “It’s possible. You can do it without using genetic engineering, just by changing the conditions inside the bioreactor.”
Market development strategy
He said Pluliar Agtech is not entering the consumer coffee business, but rather building partnerships with coffee-related companies to bring its products to market.
“We have received a lot of interest from the market. For us, we have a partner who is a market expert who understands what the product should be and how to position it. It is very important to cooperate with the toner.”
From a regulatory perspective, he says: [the Generally Recognized as Safe] This route makes sense as the US is one of our key markets. However, there is interest from other regions as well, and we believe there are many opportunities around the world. ”
Rationale: “The coffee industry is facing a very serious crisis.”
Coffee, like chocolate, is currently an affordable luxury, but that is changing, he said.
He points out that while the area of land that can sustain coffee is decreasing due in part to climate change, the popular Arabica variety has low genetic diversity and only grows at a certain temperature, so temperature He pointed out that an increase in the amount of water means a move to higher ground.
“The coffee industry is facing a very serious crisis. Basically, by 2050 the land will be suitable for cultivation. [Arabia] This means that production will be significantly reduced.
“The other option is to basically go up in altitude and go to higher ground, but this contributes to deforestation. However, some areas now require watering. [irrigate] A place where nothing like that happened 10 years ago. Therefore, the situation is changing rapidly.Meanwhile, demand for coffee is also increasing. [particularly in large markets such as China and India]”
He added, “We’re not on a mission to replace the coffee industry. We’re trying to fill a gap. We’re talking about a 50% loss in a $130 billion industry. I am. [if nothing changes between now and 2050] So we see that there is a great need. ”
References:
More on plant cell culture: ‘A huge area for attention’ as cracks appear in plant supply chain
Ayana Bio signs deal with JDA to develop saffron from plant cell culture, leveraging interest in natural appetite suppressant
Founder Tom Clark from STEM talks about the future of the Arabica supply chain and how to make real coffee without beans.
ReaGenics cracks the code to produce ‘commercially viable’ quantities of cannabinoids and other bioactive substances via plant cell culture