WHAT TO WATCH FOR
More developments. Researcher Lahiru Jayakody said the team wants to add starch, fiber and sweetener to the cookies, which he said he hopes will be ready for public consumption within a few years.
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Key background
Humans have relied on microbes for thousands of years through traditional fermentation to transform raw ingredients into stable foods like bread, cheese and yogurt, but modern biotechnology allows for the genetic engineering of micro-organisms to convert inorganic materials or waste into highly nutritious compounds. By upcycling carbon waste directly into nutrient-dense, 3D-printed foods like “µBites,” the researchers are offering a sustainable, closed-loop alternative to traditional farming. In theory, the new technology can alleviate severe food shortages during humanitarian crises, supply resource-limited environments like space missions and drastically cut plastic pollution. An estimated 2.1 billion people experience food insecurity worldwide and 645 million face chronic hunger, according to the United Nations, and projections indicate global food demand is on track to surge, putting nearly 30% of the world’s population at risk of hunger by 2050.
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CRUCIAL QUOTE
“Microbes are very clever. So, we are using their traits to solve the problems we created,” Jayakody said in a release about the team’s work.
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