Molecular farming: Food tech start-up develops hybrid plant- and cell-based alternative proteins

16 Nov 2020 --- Moolec Science is piloting an emergent concept called molecular farming to bioengineer crops that produce biomolecules for food applications. The new hybrid concept combines plant-based and cell-based to develop a sustainable protein solution that is also cost-effective.

The agri-food tech start-up aims to produce unique blends of highly functional proteins from bovine and porcine origins in protein-rich crops such as soybean and peas.

Through this bridging of plant-based and cell-based technologies, the company aims to introduce a “new generation of meat analogs.”

Leveraging nature’s bioreactors
“A plant itself, like any other organism, is a bioreactor,” a Moolec Science spokesperson tells FoodIngredientsFirst. “Plants use CO2 as feed material and convert it into biomaterials.”

“For example, the cellulose in the leaves is created through a highly efficient process using energy from the sun and is converted through photosynthesis,” they continue.

“Through crop modulation, we use the plant’s in-house bio-machinery to produce valuable biomolecules, such as food-proteins.”

Moolec Science’s pipeline of products will eventually expand to include soybean and pea crops.Lab-grown meat research has made notable strides this year, with many science-backed start-ups and food tech companies racing to commercialize cultured meat. 

In this dynamic space, cell-cultured meat hit the foodservice space with the opening of a cultured chicken restaurant in Israel, while new investment was made in the scaling up of cultivated shrimp meat.

Eventually, Moolec Science expects that its technology will have the cost structure of plant-based solutions with the organoleptic properties and functionality of cell-based platforms.

The company’s approach is pegged as being “at least ten times more cost-effective” than leading cell-based alternative proteins.

Bovine enzyme production in safflower seeds
With a proof of concept for the cheese market, the company is known for being the first to produce the bovine enzyme chymosin – also known as rennin – in safflower seeds. The functional protein is commercialized under the SPC brand. 

“Since the plant is the bioreactor, once the seed is produced and harvested, the chymosin is already inside, the company spokesperson says. “Then, a plant extraction facility is needed to recover the protein: through a wet-grinding process, first the seed is broken and then solubilized.”

“Once soluble, the next thing to do is to separate the phases (fiber and oil) and concentrate the extract into a usable food ingredient. This process is very cost-effective as it does not require investment in large bioreactor facilities.”

This platform is currently covered by international patents, with cost-effective, large-scale production on the horizon.

Moolec Science’s pipeline of products will eventually expand to include soybean and pea crops. It currently has the support and financial backing of various investors such as Bioceres Ventures and Union Group.

Piloting the “next functional food generation”
Moolec Science pegs its technology as “a hybrid between plant and cell-based.” “This will allow us to take the best of both worlds while strengthening their gaps,” notes the company’s spokesperson.

“We feel there’s room for improvement regarding the organoleptic properties and functionality for plant-derived ingredients and we want to avoid scalability concerns that come with cellular agriculture,” they add.

“To overcome these challenges, we introduced a combination of both concepts that allow us to make plants that have the unique functionality of certain animal-derived ingredients without the requirements of bioreactor facilities.”

Molecular farming is still a technology that has not yet been fully explored in the alternative proteins landscape.Moolec Science anticipates that molecular farming technologies – used in tandem with sustainable farming practices – will help “bring farmers back to the equation in the making of the next functional food generation.” 

“Due to the low-tech application of the new plant varieties, we understand this technology has the potential to help overcome a lot of the how-to-feed-the-world challenges,” says the spokesperson.

What’s next for molecular farming?
Molecular farming is still a technology that has not yet been fully explored in the alternative proteins landscape.

“We want to be pioneers in the development and subsequent use of our technological platform that will hopefully motivate other companies to shift towards the molecular farming revolution,” the spokesperson says.

“More activity in this space will bring newly developed solutions to the entire food chain and ultimately hit the supermarkets at an affordable price. That should be the natural evolution for a technology today restricted only to niche markets.”

FoodIngredientsFirst continues to feature a plethora of emergent protein sources, including sustainable bug-based ingredients produced at the world’s largest insect protein factory, microalgae for meat substitutes and slaughter-free meat grown in space.

By Benjamin Ferrer