Novella: the first producer of vegetables in the laboratory
Steak, foie gras or even breast milk, the list of cellular foods has been growing non-stop for the past few years. They are still under scrutiny Vegetables in the lab with multiple health benefits were included in the catalog on the initiative of the start-up Novella.
Founded in early 2022, this Israeli company is well-known in the agri-food industry. With a project fund of 160 million dollars in the first half of the year, it was possible to develop alternative proteins from plants (source: Good Food Institute).
Today she accomplishes the incredible feat of generation Vegetables in the lab. However, she only wants to grow the nutritionally interesting parts of the plant. In doing so, she hopes to limit any form of waste from non-food agriculture.
Food technology and in vitro culture: a booming sector
Food technology consists of feeding a cell with various nutrients (carbohydrates, lipids and amino acids) under a microscope so that it can multiply.
Before the vegetables in the laboratory, there were already many foods obtained by this method culture in vitro. We record the first burger under a microscope in 2013. Then there was this Steak under the microscope breast milk synthesized from bovine stem cells, molluscs derived from oyster tissue samples, duck egg cells that produced foie gras, or breast milk.
There are many startups offering these in vitro alternatives to solve environmental problems related to food. Some are aiming for a lower carbon footprint from meat. Others want to offer alternatives to food with exorbitant environmental costs. And there are Novella’s lab vegetables, developed to support the dietary supplement industry.
Start-up Novella wants to support the nutraceutical industry by offering vegetables in the laboratory – Photography courtesy of Novella
An approach to support the nutraceutical industry
Unlike cell meat, Novella shapes its vegetables in the laboratory more purposeful and rational. The aim is to show the industry development paths nutraceutical and not just to suggest another agricultural technique.
The start-up has set itself the goal of producing vegetables with positive properties for health and improving well-being in the laboratory. It hopes to offer in vitro foods with the same properties as dietary supplements. The latter are in particular products enriched with nutrients that can more or less prevent infections, viruses and various metabolic disorders.
Kale cells as a basis for research
The Israeli start-up has started developing vegetables in the lab, starting with kale. It’s one of the healthiest foods you can eat. It has a high content of antioxidants and vitamins.
Researchers in particular novella put the cell extracts of this detoxified cabbage into a bioreactor to propagate them. At the end of the process, you get a powder containing plant tissue enriched with nutrients.
These scientists wanted to extract that through this process vitamin k Plant and its composition in carotodes. This extremely valuable antioxidant helps reduce macular degeneration.
With ETX Daily Up
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