Harnessing bioengineered microbes as a versatile platform for space nutrition

Human enterprises through the solar system will entail long-duration voyages and habitation creating challenges in maintaining healthy diets. We discuss consolidating multiple sensory and nutritional attributes into microorganisms to develop customizable food production systems with minimal inputs,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature communications 2022-10, Vol.13 (1), p.6177-7, Article 6177
Main Authors: Llorente, Briardo, Williams, Thomas C., Goold, Hugh D., Pretorius, Isak S., Paulsen, Ian T.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
631/326/2522
631/61/318
631/61/338/552
Bioengineering
Carbon
Carbon dioxide
Diet
Ecosystem
Food
Food additives
Food production
Garbage collection
Humanities and Social Sciences
Humans
Mars
Metabolism
Microorganisms
multidisciplinary
Nutrients
Nutrition
Nutritional Status
Perspective
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Self sufficiency
Sensory properties
Space flight
Synthetic biology
Travel
Yeast
Yeasts
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Summary:Human enterprises through the solar system will entail long-duration voyages and habitation creating challenges in maintaining healthy diets. We discuss consolidating multiple sensory and nutritional attributes into microorganisms to develop customizable food production systems with minimal inputs, physical footprint, and waste. We envisage that a yeast collection bioengineered for one-carbon metabolism, optimal nutrition, and diverse textures, tastes, aromas, and colors could serve as a flexible food-production platform. Beyond its potential for supporting humans in space, bioengineered microbial-based food could lead to a new paradigm for Earth’s food manufacturing that provides greater self-sufficiency and removes pressure from natural ecosystems. Long-duration human space travel creates challenges for maintaining healthy diets. Here the authors discuss using synthetic biology approaches to modify yeast into an optimal, and enjoyable, food production platform.
ISSN:2041-1723
2041-1723
DOI:10.1038/s41467-022-33974-7