Plant molecular farming (PMF) is an innovative method of producing alternative proteins and small molecules by combining plant agriculture with techniques resembling precision fermentation. Animal DNA is introduced into the seeds, turning the resulting crops into protein factories. These genetically engineered seeds are then grown using traditional farming techniques until they are ready for harvest. This technique allows for the creation of high-quality proteins for the food industry and is hinted by the Good Food Institute as to be the fourth pillar of the alternative protein market (the three other pillars being Fermentation, Cell-Based Meat and Plant-Based Proteins). Plant Molecular Farming could also provide a step change in improving health outcomes in the pharmaceutical industry with the production of recombinant proteins and small molecules for research, diagnostic and therapeutic applications or to enhance crop production in agriculture.

The utilization of plants as hosts for recombinant proteins offers several advantages:

  1. Scalability: Plant molecular farming can take place in open fields on farms. By transforming plants into bioreactors, companies can leverage traditional row crops to produce proteins efficiently and cost-effectively, avoiding the scaling challenges associated with large bioreactors.
  2. Transferability: There is a potential for technology transfer to low- and middle-income countries, addressing global nutrition and health inequities
  3. Rapid and mature bioprocess: The field of plant bioprocessing has reached maturity, enabling companies to produce recombinant proteins in unique and rapid ways via transient expression.
  4. Gene expression regulation: The regulation of gene expression in plants is similarly intricate compared to other multicellular eukaryotes, providing a suitable platform for protein production.
  5. Tissue diversity: Plants possess a range of tissues suitable for protein expression, enhancing the versatility of this approach.
  6. Broad applicability: These techniques can be broadly applied to improve crop production, making them valuable for agricultural advancements.

In the pharmaceutical field, many companies use Plant Molecular Farming, whereas, in the food industry, there are currently about 12 companies worldwide utilizing molecular farming to grow various products, including casein, lactoferrin, animal-free dairy proteins, and growth factors for cultivated meat.

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