Coffee is the third-most drunk beverage in the world, behind water and tea, and global consumption is on the rise. Yet, production is struggling to keep up, and the International Coffee Organization expects supply will barely meet world demand this year.

According to the Finnish Technical Research Centre (VTT), there is a ‘pressing need’ for alternative ways of producing coffee. A VTT research team, led by Dr Heiko Rischer, has found a potential solution in cellular agriculture.

Cellular agriculture is perhaps best known for its applications in cell-based meat and seafood. However, it is also leveraged to recreate dairy proteins without the cow, and egg proteins without the hen.

In coffee, the cellular agriculture concept is the same, Dr Rischer explained. “Instead of cultivating animal cells, it is the cultivation of plant cells in this case.”

Once the coffee cell lines are established, they are transferred to bioreactors where they produce biomass.

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“In terms of smell and taste, our trained sensory panel and analytical examination found the profile of the brew to bear similarly to any ordinary coffee,” Dr Rischer revealed.

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