Gene-edited pond algae could become cheaper, tastier protein for future foods
Wang F, Liu X, Gu W, Xie X, Wu S
Crispr
The green scum in your birdbath and garden pond is kin to microalgae that researchers are now editing to make protein with far less land and water than soybeans or beef.
Tiny algae, the same kind of organisms that turn pond water green, are packed with protein and grow without farmland. The trouble is that wild strains often taste grassy, look very green, and have tough cell walls that are hard to digest. Scientists are using gene editing to tweak how algae handle nitrogen, light, and stress so they make more protein and turn out a milder, more appealing food ingredient.
Key Findings
CRISPR editing targets nitrogen uptake and assimilation, amino acid synthesis, carbon-nitrogen allocation, light use, and stress responses to raise protein yield and quality.
Editing cell-wall properties, color, and flavor could cut processing costs and improve consumer acceptance of algal protein.
Major hurdles remain: CRISPR delivery efficiency, multi-gene regulation, safety, and market and regulatory approval, with multi-omics-guided design and protein-focused biorefineries proposed as solutions.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Microalgae could become a low-cost, low-footprint protein source, but few strains grow fast, pack in protein, and process easily. This review says gene editing with CRISPR can fix that by tuning nitrogen use, cell walls, color, and flavor.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Microalgal proteins as sustainable alternatives: CRISPR opportunities and challenges.
Against the backdrop of risinggrowing global demand for high-quality protein and increasing constraints on natural resources and the environment, microalgae are regarded as a promising alternative ...
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
Species Mentioned
Was this useful?
Want to tell us more? (optional)
Thanks for the note!
Something went wrong — please try again.
Too many submissions. Try again in an hour.
Targeted knockout of a host peroxisomal peptidase confers field resistance to...
The corn in your grocery store and the staple food keeping millions of East African families fed is under serious threat from a viral disease that can wipe o...
Microalgae or microphytes are microscopic algae invisible to the naked eye. They are phytoplankton typically found in freshwater and marine systems, living in both the water column and sediment. They are unicellular species which exist individually, or in chains or groups. Depending on the specie...