Increasing Protein in Plants Could be the Next Big Thing for Food Security

Food Security

You have probably heard about the importance of sustainability and net zero goals, but have you heard about food security?

Food security is an important topic. In 2023, the world’s demand for resources exceeded what it could generate for the entire year on August, 2. In other words, we used up a year’s worth of resources in just 7 months, and much of this was due to food waste.

From restoring a billion oysters to identifying black holes in space, AI is everywhere. Now, it is making food production and distribution much more effective; more specifically, synthetic biology is using AI to increase the nutritional value of plants so that they can produce as much protein as possible…

And this could have some great benefits to ensure food security in the future.

What is Food Security?

“Food security is when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.”

THE FOOD and agriculture organization

In 2020, more than 800 million people faced hunger. Projections show that food will become even more scarce than it is today, and this means food will become more expensive in the future.

The gravity of this situation is recognized internationally. Alongside climate action to reduce global warming, one of the important goals defined by the UN is Zero Hunger. In order to achieve this goal, and better ensure food security, new methods for refining the quality of food may be required.

One such method that is starting to gain momentum is synthetic biology.

What is synthetic biology?

Synthetic biology is a discipline that focuses on re-designing biological systems. It sometimes sounds like a science fiction movie, but it may not be as far-fetched as it sounds.

In the past, animal insulin was used for the treatment of diabetic patients. It was extracted from the pancreas of animals, usually pigs. Today, the manufacturing of insulin for medical purposes is 100% synthetic. In just 40 years, the insulin market has been totally revolutionized. 

Now imagine that instead of simply extracting protein from plants—as is done for plant-based protein powders—we found a way to increase the protein in those plants—what is known as increasing protein yield. This is what companies like MNDL Bio, a synthetic biology startup are working towards.

How Does Increasing Protein Yield in Plants Help Food Security?

Synthetic biology is a branch of science that can potentially be used to increase the amount of beneficial protein in food. By optimizing the gene expression of certain plants, the protein yield of these plants increases, and so does their nutritional value. Nearly 1 billion people worldwide are deficient in protein. If more foods contain the nutritional properties needed for a healthy lifestyle, then the percentage of people who have the means to live a healthier lifestyle will increase.

How Does AI Help Synthetic Biology?

The scientific record of DNA sequences found in many plants and animals is extremely large, which makes data processing difficult. With AI, however, large amounts of data can be sifted through quickly and efficiently. Companies like MNDL have taken machine learning a step further and developed an AI-driven algorithm that enables a more generic approach to optimizing gene expression. Their technology is based on proven research and is being offered as SaaS (software as a service) to research labs and pharma companies that specialize in synthetic biology. Their innovative software has won the Coller Startup Competition 2023 in the food tech track.