Clean Food Group
When changing temperature, acidity and sugars, yeast can produce different types of fats. The right oil is more saturated, semi-solid and is designed to replace palm oil, while the left oil is liquid and less saturated.
Using products derived from small suburban brewers, a new alternative to palm oil can protect forests and reduce greenhouse gases.
A team of researchers developed a ecological alternative to palm oil, which could reach the market until the end of 2025.
O palm oil – Like other tropical oils, such as coconut oil, cocoa butter and soybean oil – is known for its negative environmental impact.
These oils compete with the forests tropical for land use, thus contributing to the deforestationthe loss of biodiversity, the Greenhouse gas emission and air and water pollution, especially in Southeast Asia, South America and Africa.
Despite that, We use a lot of palm oil in food and cosmetics. It is estimated that about Half of all packaged products which we find on the shelves of supermarkets contain palm oil, identified under dozens of different names on labels, from glycerin to steric acid.
Therefore, for over a decade that scientists at the University of Bath – led by teacher and chemical engineer Chris Chuck – They are looking for an alternative.
Apparently found a possible solution, says: a yeast called Metschnikowia beautiful.
“It grows in the grapes”Explains Chuck.“ It’s already used in the biological wine industry. Those ones Black currant aromas that are found in the red wines-especially in South Africa, where they are much appreciated- Metschnikowia.”
This yeast naturally contains about 20% fatbut Chuck’s team appealed to a process called “directed evolution” – similar to artificial selection, but also using environmental pressures – to increase this percentage.
“Now, About half of it is pure fat”Said Chuck, co-founder of the biotechnological startup specializing in sustainable oils. She is very fat. And we also got that grow much faster”.
Produce this oil does not require much space or complex equipment – Just a big tank. Yeast is fed with food wastelike bakeries or potato factories – previously decomposed to create sugars.
When it reaches the greatest possible density, yeast cells breakreleasing the oil, which is later refined in the same way as other oils food.
The non -greasy part of yeast can be transformed in other ingredients food, such as natural emulsifiers and beta-glucano – A beneficial fiber to the heart, present in the oats.
Changing the environment of yeast growth, scientists can modify their taste, texture and nutritional profilemaking it more or less saturated, in order to replicate different types of fat.
“If we do this correctly, we can prevent tropical forests from being devastated,” says Chuck. “Currently, to cultivate edible oils we use a area equivalent to that of Argentina – One of the five largest countries in the world. ”
E demand is increasing. By 2021, the palm oil industry was valued at $ 50.6 billion (£ 37.3 billion) and it is expected to reach dollars $ £ $ £ £ $ £ £
“We need to leave some forest To be the planet’s lung, ”warned Chuck.We can’t take down everything”.
At the same time, replacing part of the tropical oils with yeast oils may help reduce gas emissions with greenhouse effect.
“These tropical plants produce more2 than oil”, Said Chuck, adding that the oil produced by yeast emits less 95% carbon dioxide and can be cultivated practically anywhere.
“What these precision fermentation technologies allow it to install them locally,” he explains. “We could put them in a suburban neighborhood From any city, collect waste from the city’s factories, produce the oil and return it to the local market. ”
This yeast oil It’s almost arriving. Chuck says he can start appearing in cosmetics by the end of 2025 or early 2026 – and shortly after used in food.
