This forgotten technology could solve the world’s palm oil problem

Are There Emerging Alternatives to Palm Oil?!

Palm oil is a significant driver of deforestation in the tropics–an estimated 47% of Indonesia's forest was lost to palm oil between 1972 and 2015–and production is expected to triple by 2050.

However, researchers are tapping into a World War II-era solution to find an alternative: oils made from yeast and microbes that retain palm oil's chemical properties.

Thus far, most synthetic oils have been produced with yeasts that feed on cane sugar, but the process could be rendered even more sustainable by utilizing a yeast that ferments potato peels as well as a fungus that feeds on corn harvest leftovers.

With companies racing to scale up production and the first microbial oil product expected to be launched by the startup C16 Biosciences as early as the first months of 2023, researchers are optimistic that lab-grown palm oil alternatives could become a key tool in preventing tropical deforestation within the next 5 years.

Do you know about other alternatives to palm oil?

#palmoil #regeneration #deforestation #climatechange

From Claire Krummenacher