Innovations: Why organism engineering could be a foodies dream come true

Thanks to recent advances in synthetic biology a hybrid discipline of engineering and biology that makes possible the manipulation of DNA of microorganisms such as yeast, bacteria, fungi and algae a new generation of organism engineers has already started experimenting withthe creation of new flavors and ingredients. In doing so, they have the potential to transform synthetic biology into a new creative platform to enable chefs, bakers or brewers to create new flavor profiles for food and drink.

Imagine being able to create the next acclaimed ingredient that makes foods more savory, harnessing the power of thenoble rot to make a wine the equal of a bottle of Chteau dYquem, or fermenting a new cheese that has more flavor complexitythan Roquefort. Creative types in foodie capitals around the nation would no doubt be interested in experimenting with these new products and tastes, just as visionary chefs Ferran Adri, Wylie Dufresne and Grant Achatz experimented with the molecular gastronomy trend when it firststarted to gomainstream.

One company at the forefront of using synthetic biology to create new types ofcultured ingredients is Ginkgo Bioworks, a Boston-based start-up that emerged from Silicon Valleys Y Combinator (the same incubator that gave us Airbnb and Dropbox). The company comes with a pretty impressive innovation pedigree the companys co-founder is Tom Knight, the MIT legend who played an important role during the 1960s and 1970s in the development of ARPANET, a precursor to the modern Internet. Knight then reinvented his career trajectory using biology, and by 2012, Fast Companywas calling him the godfather of synthetic biology.

Backed by $9 million in new venture capitalfinancing, Ginkgo has opened up a new 18,000-square foot facility in Boston a facility that the company refers to as the first organism engineering foundry in the world. By taking advantage of software-directed robots, the plan is to scale up the production of engineered organisms that could eventually be used to make anything from designer fragrances to cheap biofuels. Unlike traditional factories, which one could imagine churning out huge vats of yeast, Ginkgos foundry has a wide range oftest samples being refined at any time, none of them larger than a bottle of water.

As Patrick Boyle, an organism designer at Ginkgo, told me, the companys current showcase product is a cultured rose product that can be used to make new designer perfumes. Rather than relying on chemistry to create rose mimics artificially from a handful of chemicals or crushing 1,000 or more rose petals to make a single vial of rose oil naturally, Ginkgo is choosing a third way: using yeast to ferment these rose oils, which can then be used to create unique new perfume fragrances. The start-up says its method is more cost-effective, and provides a distinct scent.

And the same technology used to create new fragrances could also be used to create new food flavors by genetically modifying microbes. The most likely suspects, of course, are those food products that heavily rely on fermentation for their distinctive taste think cheese, pickles, bread, beer, wine and yogurt. But thats not all there are at least 24 different types of food that result from fermentation including some that have become favorites with the foodie set: kombucha, charcuterie and miso. Even coffee and chocolate can be considered fermented food.

Certain plant-based products, too, could be produced via theuse of fermentation. For example, using synthetic biology, Swiss-based Evolva has created an alternative to artificial vanilla flavor (vanillin) that has already made its way into food products available to consumers. Boyle suggests that new plant-based sweeteners could become big. And a recent article in Perfumer & Flavorist by Reshma Shetty of Ginkgo Bioworks lists more than 20 different cultured ingredients that are coming to market soon (including six from Ginkgo).

However, lets step back a second. The idea that some companies are messing around with the DNA of microbes, storing vast quantities of designer organisms in a factory, and having robots mix together product samples understandably makes some people nervous.

Obviously, there are a number of concerns about synthetic biology, especially in an era when even the mention of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) tends to freak people out. But these concerns are largely overwrought. Synthetic ingredients are actually more natural than the artificial ingredients found in stores. There are no genetically modified organisms in the final food product the engineered organisms are only used in the fermentation process as a raw material to help make the final product.

The really interesting part is how the synthetic biology work at Ginkgo has been inspired by the early days of computer programming. Ginkgo is essentially programming organisms, getting them to behave the same way as one might a piece of computer code. Tom Knight, who started in MITs artificial intelligence and computer science program, has suggested that learning how to program organisms is more fascinating than the ability to program computers.

Read the original post:
Innovations: Why organism engineering could be a foodies dream come true