Scientists make sustainable coffee from lab-grown cells

Coffee is one of the most popular beverages in the world — and that’s a problem because the process of producing coffee is environmentally costly. The fertilizers and pesticides can contaminate soil and waterways and the production process requires a lot of water, also contributes to deforestation.

To combat the negative environmental effects of coffee production, researchers are making sustainable coffee in the lab, growing brewable cells from bits of plant leaves.

Then the cells are transferred to a bioreactor from which the biomass is then harvested. The cells are dried and roasted and then coffee can be brewed.

In terms of smell and taste, a trained sensory panel and analytical examination found the profile of the brew to bear similarity to ordinary coffee. Getting it to taste delicious will still take some effort.

Coffee making is an art and involves iterative optimization under the supervision of specialists with dedicated equipment.

The scientists believe they’re about four years away from scaling up production of their lab-grown sustainable coffee and securing the regulatory approval needed to sell it.