The microbiome: Delicious food and solutions to the climate crisis

Microorganisms are already found in some foods, but soon they will play a much larger role in food production and other products that we are used to perceive as traditional industrial and agricultural products. Our growing knowledge of the microorganisms enables us to use them in new exciting contexts. There is growing international interest in these new products and in novel uses of raw materials based on our understanding of the microbiome. The first products are already on the supermarket shelves, offering new flavours, colours, and textures of food. In the future, microorganisms found in nature will be used to produce everything from environmental-friendly clothes to to climate-friendly jet fuel. We will also be able to savour vegan steaks, which are chewed tender by microorganisms supplemented with umami seaweed and delicate mushroom mycelium. Science Journalist Jens Degett from Science Stories interviews Professor Lene Lange from LL-Bioøkonomi. Photo credit: Jens Degett