bioeconomy
The bioeconomy refers to economic systems that derive goods, energy, and services from biological resources and biotechnology rather than fossil fuels. For plant science, this framework is central, as crop plants serve as primary feedstocks for biofuels, bioplastics, and bio-based chemicals that can replace petroleum-derived products. Advances in plant genomics, metabolic engineering, and breeding are driving efforts to optimize crops for higher yields, improved biomass composition, and greater efficiency in industrial applications.
open_in_new WikipediaPubMed · 2026-04-02
Scientists used gut bacteria fed on sugarcane and soybean byproducts to manufacture brain-active medicines at scale, cutting production costs by 90% and carbon emissions by 95% compared to conventional lab media — all without any animal-derived ingredients.
Three gut bacterial strains each produced a different neurosteroid isomer with high stereospecificity, eliminating the need for costly chiral separation steps.
Using a plant-derived medium made from sugarcane molasses and enzymatically treated okara (soybean pulp), researchers achieved over 95% conversion of progesterone into target neurosteroids.
Compared to standard lab growth media, the plant-based medium reduced production costs by 90% and carbon footprint by 95% in multigram-scale batch trials.
