Researchers at the University of Amsterdam have developed a novel class of molecules capable of raising the temperature of plants. Application of such ‘molecular heaters’ allows crops to grow at lower environmental temperatures. This can extend the growth season, increase the availability of arable land, and facilitate speed breeding programs for new crop varieties.

The molecular heaters were developed by Prof. Wybren Jan Buma of Molecular Photonics (Van ‘t Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences) and Dr Teun Munnik of Plant Cell Biology (Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences) in a cooperation with researchers from the universities of Warwick and Bristol.

In experiments in the laboratory and greenhouses, the team has demonstrated that the molecular heating effect can indeed be used to warm plants and increase the temperature of leaves by more than one degree Celsius. Furthermore, it was established that application of these molecular heaters can lead to increased amounts of biomass. Currently, the molecular heaters are subject of further study in the European ‘Boostcrop’ project, funded with nearly 5 million euros from the EU’s ‘Future and Emerging Technologies’ programme. This research includes small field tests and assessment of safety issues.

When applied at large scale, molecular heaters could contribute to boosting crop yields worldwide. Allowing crops to grow at lower environmental temperatures can extend their cultivation at higher altitudes or latitudes than what is normally possible. Application of the molecular heaters can also prolong the growth season (to earlier and later time periods) and lead to faster development of plants.

After having recently been awarded a patent, the researchers are now looking for partners to further develop feasible applications of the molecular heaters. Preliminary contacts with key players have already shown a high level of interest in the field of crop protection and development. The researchers envision large-scale application of the molecular heaters in mixtures with surfactants and wetting agents or combinations thereof. This would optimise their application on plants, for instance through spraying techniques. Another line of development they pursue is to chemically adjust the molecular heaters to make them stick better to the surface of plants.

The way molecular heaters work is comparable to molecules used in sunscreen lotions. They absorb UV photons and transform this energy into molecular vibrations. This effectively converts harmful light into harmless heat, albeit on such a small scale that this escapes the sunbather’s notion. Having developed advanced laser spectroscopic techniques for elucidating the photodynamics of these sunscreen molecules, Wybren Jan Buma set out to broaden the scope of his research. He teamed up with plant biologist Teun Munnik to explore the idea of using the molecular heating phenomenon for heating plants. When it turned out this notion had not been reported in literature before, they knew they were on to something.

Buma and Munnik decided to focus on naturally occurring types of molecules. In fact, plants produce molecules such as sinapoyl malate to protect themselves against UV radiation from the sun in a sunscreen-like fashion. The researchers studied different variants of these type of molecules to optimize their heat-generating effect.

Source: UvA (Press release)

Mosa Meat, the European food technologycompany which introduced the world’s first cultured beef hamburger in 2013, announced the firstclosing of $55M as part of a larger Series B funding round.

Mosa Meat will use the funds to extend its current pilot production facility at its home in Maastricht,develop an industrial-sized production line, expand its team, and introduce delicious cultured beef toconsumers. While no date has been announced for an introduction to consumers, the company willwork with regulators to demonstrate the safety of cultured beef, in order to achieve regulatoryapproval to serve consumers in Europe who are craving change.

The Series B funding round is led by Luxembourg-based Blue Horizon Ventures, the food technologyfund that aims to ​support and promote a positive global impact on the environment, human health,and animal welfare​. Dr. Regina Hecker is joining the board with special focus on science, scaling andregulatory. They are joined by Bell Food Group, M Ventures and other mission-based investors andadvisors.

Mosa Meat, which now has a team of 50 scientists, engineers and food-lovers, has reached criticaltechnical milestones in 2019 and 2020 including an ​88x cost reduction​ in growth medium cost, andremoving Fetal Bovine Serum​ from the production process.

“We are very excited to welcome our new partners and see existing partners continue our journeytogether”​ said Maarten Bosch, CEO of Mosa Meat. ​“With their support and capabilities, we have theopportunity to take the next concrete steps to scale production, make progress towards a cleaner,kinder way of making real beef, and ultimately increase the resilience, sustainability, and safety of ourglobal food system”.

“We are excited to be joining Mosa Meat as lead investor in this round”​ said Dr. Regina Hecker,Partner at Blue Horizon Ventures.​ “Following a thorough investigation of its technology and team, weare convinced that Mosa Meat is strongly placed to pioneer the scale-up of cultured meat”.

This funding round follows a successful Series A round in 2018, which included investments by MVentures, Bell Food Group, Nutreco and Lowercarbon Capital.

Source: MosaMeat (Press release)

Recent advances in gene editing offer promising opportunities to mitigate emissions from agriculture and other sectors, and to capture carbon from the atmosphere. A report by the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF), an independent US-based think tank, outlines several applications of gene editing that benefit the climate and outlines policy recommendations to stimulate development.

The ITIF report explores solutions made possible by the most modern techniques of biotechnology: gene editing. An esoteric interest of just a handful of molecular biologists only a decade ago, gene editing is now the second-most published topic in biology (after SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19). Gene editing can be used to improve fundamental biological processes, like photosynthesis, to deliver positive impacts across wide range of human activities, including those that impact the climate.

Noted physicist Freeman Dyson wrote in 2008, “After we have mastered biotechnology, the rules of the climate game will be radically changed…. if we can control what the plants do with the carbon, the fate of the carbon in the atmosphere is in our hands.” While Dyson’s long-term prediction will not quickly come to pass, over the next 50 years, gene editing will make significant contributions to address the climate challenge, especially if public policymakers recognize and act on the opportunity quickly. Public investments in climate and clean energy research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) to date have focused heavily on chemical and physical solutions. It’s time for biology to play a much bigger role.

This report describes how ancient biological processes have been reforged by researchers into new tools that can reshape the characteristics of plants, animals, and microbes to help reduce GHG emissions and remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. It focuses primarily on opportunities for agricultural innovation, which is the logical sector for initial applications because, while it is not the largest source of GHGs, it is more directly dependent on biology than other sectors. The report also addresses biofuels, before turning to applications of gene editing that hold promise for removing carbon from the atmosphere.

It concludes with a set of policy recommendations aimed at accelerating the development and deployment of gene-edited climate solutions, making four key recommendations to the United States government and its international partners:

1. Eliminate unscientific regulatory burdens and barriers that hinder the development of safe gene-edited products.
2. Increase investment in research and development (R&D) priorities such as advancing CRISPR tools, enhancing photosynthesis, and improving methods to measure soil carbon.
3. Improve coordination of existing R&D efforts within the United States and around
   the world.
4. Expand incentives that will spur the rapid adoption of novel gene-edited technologies.

Source: ITIF

FrieslandCampina Ingredients gaat de productiecapaciteit van lactoferrine in Veghel in 2022 met 60 ton uitbreiden om strategische groei in de segmenten Early Life Nutrition en Adult Nutrition mogelijk te maken. De totale capaciteit bedraagt daarmee 70 ton per jaar. Daarmee is FrieslandCampina Ingredients ’s werelds grootste producent van lactoferrine.

Herman Ermens, president a.i. van FrieslandCampina Ingredients: “Lactoferrine is een belangrijk ingrediënt in kindervoeding en toont daarnaast potentiële gezondheidsvoordelen voor volwassenen gerelateerd aan het immuunsysteem 1-9. De wereldwijde vraag naar lactoferrine is tussen 2014 en 2019 bijna verdubbeld. Door de productiecapaciteit fors uit te breiden, kunnen we aan de vraag van onze klanten voldoen. Daarnaast willen we als bedrijf groeien in ingrediënten met toegevoegde waarde. Dankzij onze technologische positie, onze kennis en ervaring kunnen wij onze afnemers een kwaliteitsproduct aanbieden dat aan de strenge eisen en wereldwijde regelgeving voldoet.”

FrieslandCampina Ingredients’ lactoferrine heeft een zuiverheidsgraad van 96% en wordt rechtstreeks gewonnen uit rauwe melk in de productielocatie in Veghel. Het product wordt gesproeidroogd en staat bekend om de zeer consistente samenstelling en het feit dat het uitstekend droog kan worden gemengd. Om aan de hoge kwaliteitseisen te voldoen, wordt de productielocatie voorzien van de allernieuwste technologie. Bovendien wordt gebruik gemaakt van 100% groene elektriciteit wat bijdraagt aan een lagere CO2-voetafdruk van FrieslandCampina Ingredients.

Lactoferrine is van nature aanwezig in koemelk en moedermelk. In een aantal wetenschappelijke onderzoeken is vastgesteld dat lactoferrine verschillende potentieel gezondheid bevorderende eigenschappen heeft, zo is onder andere antibacteriële, antivirale en ontstekingsremmende activiteit waargenomen alsook bevorderde ijzerabsorptie 1-9.

Anne Peter Lindeboom, managing director Early Life Nutrition bij FrieslandCampina Ingredients, voegt hieraan toe: “FrieslandCampina begon ruim 25 jaar geleden met de productie van lactoferrine en was daarmee een van de eerste producenten. De aangekondigde uitbreiding laat opnieuw zien dat wij voortdurend op zoek zijn naar mogelijkheden om onze klanten van ingrediënten te voorzien die voor hun producten en gebruikers van enorme waarde zijn.”

Bron: FrieslandCampina (Persbericht)