Cell-Based Coffee Bolsters Future Production
Published 06 March 2024
Israeli biotech company Pluri could revolutionise the coffee industry with its new cell-based coffee that circumvents the climate challenges growers face. The breakthrough comes at a pertinent time: by 2050, there will be 55% to 62% less land for growing coffee due to worsening climatic conditions (PubMed, 2022).
Compared with traditional methods of coffee production, Pluri’s process will slash water usage by 98%, according to the company. For producing its coffee in a lab, it needs only one biopsy taken from a coffee plant to create a bank of coffee cells. The cells are then expanded through a 3D bioreactor and harvested, dried and roasted, reports sustainability-focused news website Green Queen. The outcome is scalable, cost-efficient and consistent from batch to batch.
“We believe deeply in the power of cell technology to make farming and food cultivation more productive and sustainable”, says Pluri’s chief executive and president Yaky Yanay.
Elsewhere, a new genetic map of the arabica coffee plant, coffea arabica, could help breeders develop more climate-proof brews, according to US-based non-profit Genetic Literacy Project. The map, conceived by international scientists, draws links between the genetic make-up of hundreds of arabica varieties worldwide, as well as surprising similarities between the genetics of coffee and other crops, including potatoes, brassicas and wheats. This knowledge will advance the ability to produce novel sustainable coffee hybrids to ensure the brew’s future.
