Cell-based fruit: Researchers combine plant biology and food science to explore cellular horticulture

08 Sep 2023 ---Scientists in New Zealand are culturing plant cells to grow fruit without a tree, vine or bush, with initial trials using blueberries, apples, cherries, feijoas, peaches, nectarines and grapes cells. This comes at a time when more than 80 companies worldwide are looking to commercialize cell-based meat and seafood.

The horticulture experts at Plant and Food Research – a government-owned crown research institute – aim to create a way to use less resources and improve the environmental impact of food production through science.

According to Dr. Ben Schon, scientist and leader of the Food by Design program at Plant and Food Research, there is widespread interest and development in cellular food production systems within a controlled environment.

“Cellular horticulture currently has a smaller profile than cellular agriculture and aquaculture, but we believe this is a really exciting area of science where we can utilize our expertise in plant biology and food science to explore what could become a significant food production system in the future.”

The five-year-long Food by Design program started 18 months ago and is funded through Plant and Food Research’s internal Growing Futures investment of the MBIE Strategic Science Investment Fund.

Sprout Agritech, an agri-food tech accelerator and investor, is backing the research.

A desirable product?
Cell-based food struggles to achieve the same texture, taste and nutritional value as conventional variants and food formulators are making an effort to get this right.

For instance, cultured meat producer Steakholder Foods is employing 3D printing to create fiber textures that simulate the texture of conventional meat.

“Much like lab-grown meats, the challenge is to create an end product that is nutritious and has a taste, texture and appearance that consumers are familiar with,” underscores Dr. Schon.

Blueberry cells grown in a petri dish by the scientists (Image credit: Plant and Food Research).To grow a desirable piece of food, the researchers will need “more than just a collection of cells,” he adds. Therefore, the team is investigating approaches that are likely to deliver a “fresh food eating experience.”

“The aim isn’t to try and completely replicate a piece of fruit that’s grown in the traditional way, but rather create a new food with equally appealing properties.”

Dr. Schon flags that the research’s insights can also potentially breed better fruit varieties.

Understanding fruit cell behavior
In addition to exploring the viability of cellular horticulture as a future tool for food production, the research also aims to provide a better understanding of fruit cell behavior, which would reportedly benefit the traditional growing methods being used by New Zealand’s horticultural sector.

“This cellular horticulture research fits within Plant & Food Research’s Hua Ki Te Ao – Horticulture Goes Urban Growing Futures Direction, which is focused on developing new plants and growing systems that will bring food production closer to urban consumers,” notes the institute.

According to Dr. Samantha Baldwin, scientist and co-leader for the direction at the institute, globally, the food industry is seeing a rapid growth in vertical farming, controlled environment growing as well as cell-cultured meat spaces. 

She also suggested that “cell-cultured plant foods could be a solution to urban population growth, with requirements for secure and safe food supply chains close to these urbanized markets.”

Maintaining a robust food supply chain has been an ongoing challenge for the F&B industry following disruptions due to Brexit, the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine war.

Interestingly, ingredient manufacturers such as Mibelle Biochemistry use cell-culture-derived biomass from endangered apple species to formulate food supplements for anti-aging benefits.

In other lab-grown food advancements, this week Mosa Meat became the first cultivated meat company to obtain B corp certification, advancing its efforts toward creating a more sustainable food system by growing beef from cow cells.

Additionally, seafood industry leaders are also turning to cultivated lab options, with Maruha Nichiro recently collaborating with Umami Bioworks.

By Insha Naureen