South Korea's TissenBioFarm Expands Cell Culture Tech to Coffee
South Korea's TissenBioFarm has expanded its cell culture technology to coffee, marking the first time this technology has been implemented in the country.
Coffee production is facing an uncertain future due to climate change. Research shows that 60% of coffee species are already endangered, and the tropical areas suitable for coffee cultivation are set to be halved by 2050.
The industry is also facing declining yields, which have pushed prices to all-time highs. In the US, the cost of coffee has risen by 47% over the past five years. Coffee production itself is a culprit, generating more greenhouse gases than poultry and pig meat combined. It takes 140 litres of water to produce enough beans for one cup of coffee.
## Cell Culture Tech for Coffee
South Korea's TissenBioFarm has expanded its cell culture technology to coffee, marking the first time this technology has been implemented in the country. The company has conducted a tasting of its cell-based coffee, which was made possible through its collaboration with Colombian specialty coffee farm Café Nogales.
TissenBioFarm develops future food and bio-based products based on edible biomaterials and biofabrication technology capable of “ultra-high-speed mass production”. This tech was used to develop artificial organs at the Pohang University of Science and Technology and was transferred to cultivated meat production.
The company is now expanding its business into high-value-added fields such as biomaterials and cell-cultured coffee, building on core technologies including edible bioink, ultra-low-cost cell culture, food-grade cell culture materials, and the aforementioned biofabrication platform.
## TissenBioFarm's Cell-Based Coffee
TissenBioFarm's cell-based coffee was made using its own cellular agriculture technology, from coffee callus induction and liquid culture of coffee cells to harvesting, roasting, and extraction. The company is currently refining its culture conditions and roasting processes to better realise coffee's unique flavour.
TissenBioFarm is among a number of companies using this tech to produce coffee fit for the future. Others are sidestepping the bean altogether, using plant-based ingredients, and often fermentation, to produce coffee alternatives.
### Companies Using Cell Culture Tech for Coffee
| Company | Description | | --- | --- | | Pluri | Using cell culture tech to produce coffee fit for the future | | California Cultured | Producing cell-based coffee using plant cell culture | | Coffeesai | Leveraging cell culture tech to produce sustainable coffee | | Amatera | Breeding climate-resilient coffee varieties using AI-powered plant cell biology platform | | Prefer | Producing plant-based coffee alternatives using fermentation | | Koppie | Using plant-based ingredients to produce coffee alternatives | | Voyage Foods | Producing coffee alternatives using plant-based ingredients and fermentation | | Compound Foods | Producing coffee alternatives using plant-based ingredients and fermentation | | Atomo | Producing coffee alternatives using plant-based ingredients and fermentation | | Northern Wonder | Producing coffee alternatives using plant-based ingredients and fermentation | | Wake | Producing coffee alternatives using plant-based ingredients and fermentation |
TissenBioFarm is advancing its cultivated meat efforts, too. Last year, it claimed to be the first company in the industry to achieve cell density equivalent to that of conventional meat, and even exceeding it. It is currently validating its tech further, just as South Korea's cultivated meat sector matures into one of the world's leading markets.
