Moleculture

Molecular agriculture is an idea as old as transgenesis. Attempts to have tobacco, rice, or corn produce therapeutic molecules have been made many times, but the results have been few and inconclusive. A French startup, Plantibodies, is proposing a new approach: instead of extracting the target molecule from the plant, the idea is to grind the spinach leaves that contain it into a powder.

Animal proteins without animalsMilk proteins without cows, fish without fish, meat without animals and even egg proteins without eggs or chickens: welcome to the realm of “precision fermentation” for our future food. Three start-ups in the sector have obtained approval for their milk-free milk proteins from the US health authorities, enabling them to sell them to food manufacturers.The industry and certain institutions are presenting these innovations as a step forward in reducing the carbon impact of livestock farming and meeting the food needs of human populations. Above all, it is a promising market: these “advances” are already attracting investors.