Engineering Eco-Friendly and Sustainable Reflecting Crystals in Yeast to Replace Hazardous TiO2 Based Pigments

Descripción del proyecto

Cristales de guanina: un aditivo alimentario seguro y sostenible

El óxido de titanio, un material versátil conocido por sus propiedades ópticas y su estabilidad, se ha utilizado en productos farmacéuticos, cosméticos y como aditivo alimentario. Tras su prohibición en la industria alimentaria debido a preocupaciones sobre la salud, se necesitan alternativas más seguras. El equipo del proyecto CrystalCellFactory, financiado por el CEI, propone los cristales de guanina como una alternativa al óxido de titanio: reflejan la luz de forma natural y tienen buenas propiedades ópticas, termoestabilidad y compatibilidad. Los investigadores explorarán la levadura como biofábrica para sintetizar los cristales de guanina utilizando enzimas productoras de guanina procedentes del pez cebra. En el proyecto se determinará el potencial de mercado de su tecnología para su explotación comercial en la industria alimentaria de la Unión Europea (UE).

Objetivo

"The superior optical properties and stability of Titanium dioxide (TiO2) has made the material attractive to many industries, for use in food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. Despite these benefits, the wide use of TiO2 has raised significant health concerns, culminating in the 2022 European Union's decision to ban its use as a food additive. This regulatory shift has precipitated an urgent demand for healthier, environmentally sustainable alternatives that do not compromise on performance. Unfortunately, current alternatives fail to match TiO2 in terms of efficacy and stability, thereby limiting their adoption. This PoC, proposes an innovative solution by which yeast serve as eco-friendly ""biofactories"" to produce guanine crystals. These crystals, which are naturally utilized by animals to reflect light, possess remarkable optical properties, with enhanced thermostability, and superior compatibility compared to current TiO2 alternatives. We will modify yeast to express the specialized highly efficient guanine-producing enzymes, originally identified in zebrafish as part of our ERC project. Inspired by nature, our project will exploit yeast's remarkable biosynthetic abilities to obtain efficient production of these crystals. Our preliminary results demonstrate the feasibility of this approach, and are backed by robust metabolomic profiling that enables precise measurement of guanine levels, identification of metabolic bottlenecks, and detection of by-products. In preparation for commercial rollout, our strategy involves mapping our innovation within the EU food industry, identifying precise market segments, and crafting an initial business model. This multifaceted approach is designed to both showcase the economic viability and market potential of our yeast-produced guanine crystals and also to position them as a safe, sustainable, and high-performing TiO2 alternative, in line with the EU's health-centric regulatory framework and consumer expectations."