Presentation Information
[3ASBA-01-TA]Engineering yeast cell factories for more sustainable food systems
○Irina Borodina1 (1. Technical University of Denmark (Denmark))
Keywords:
industrial biotechnology,yeast cell factories,high-throughput metabolic engineering,bio-based production,microbial food
Metabolic engineering can enable solutions for more sustainable food production. I will discuss several examples developed in our laboratory, including the production of insect sex pheromones for safe and environmentally friendly pest control in agriculture, the production of natural food colors, yeasts engineered with essential sterols for bee feed, and engineered yeast for protein-rich food. Also, high-throughput metabolic engineering approaches that accelerate strain development will be presented.
Sex pheromones produced naturally by insects for communication present an environmentally safe alternative to insecticides, as they are biodegradable, species-specific compounds that do not affect beneficial species or human health. We developed a biotechnology-based solution to produce pheromone components from renewable feedstocks using yeast cell factories, reconstructing pathways, performing metabolic engineering, and optimizing processes. The integrated process was up-scaled to 100+ m³, and the biologically produced pheromones were effective in the field. This technology enables the wide application of pheromones for pest control with benefits for health, food safety, and biodiversity.
Conversion from artificial to natural food colors is driven by consumer and regulatory demands. We developed a yeast-based fermentation process to produce betanin from red beets, amaranthin from amaranth flowers, and phyllocactin from red dragon fruit. Engineered Yarrowia lipolytica made 1-3 g/L of betalains in fed-batch fermentation. Production by fermentation reduces the land use and climate change impact by 90% in comparison to betalain extraction from plants.
For honeybees, some pollen sterols are essential. Engineered Y. lipolytica strains producing these essential sterols were incorporated into bee diets, enabling brood rearing far longer than on standard feeds. This can support the rearing of healthier and stronger bee colonies for agricultural crop pollination.
Finally, we have engineered texture, flavor, and nutritional properties of yeast to create delicious protein-rich foods.
These cases demonstrate how yeast cell factories can provide concrete, scalable technologies for more sustainable food production.
Sex pheromones produced naturally by insects for communication present an environmentally safe alternative to insecticides, as they are biodegradable, species-specific compounds that do not affect beneficial species or human health. We developed a biotechnology-based solution to produce pheromone components from renewable feedstocks using yeast cell factories, reconstructing pathways, performing metabolic engineering, and optimizing processes. The integrated process was up-scaled to 100+ m³, and the biologically produced pheromones were effective in the field. This technology enables the wide application of pheromones for pest control with benefits for health, food safety, and biodiversity.
Conversion from artificial to natural food colors is driven by consumer and regulatory demands. We developed a yeast-based fermentation process to produce betanin from red beets, amaranthin from amaranth flowers, and phyllocactin from red dragon fruit. Engineered Yarrowia lipolytica made 1-3 g/L of betalains in fed-batch fermentation. Production by fermentation reduces the land use and climate change impact by 90% in comparison to betalain extraction from plants.
For honeybees, some pollen sterols are essential. Engineered Y. lipolytica strains producing these essential sterols were incorporated into bee diets, enabling brood rearing far longer than on standard feeds. This can support the rearing of healthier and stronger bee colonies for agricultural crop pollination.
Finally, we have engineered texture, flavor, and nutritional properties of yeast to create delicious protein-rich foods.
These cases demonstrate how yeast cell factories can provide concrete, scalable technologies for more sustainable food production.
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