Using microorganisms to improve sustainability

Although the disease-causing capabilities of microorganisms are often in focus, there are numerous positive functions that microbes perform, and the scope for their use in creating a more sustainable world is vast.

Professor Yusuf Chisti from Te Kura Rangahau Kai School of Food and Advanced Technology is using microorganisms in a plethora of ways, from producing foods and nutrients, to improving the sustainability of aquaculture and agriculture and generating renewable energy.

One example involves vitamin B12, which is essential for red blood cell production, brain function and general health. Deficiencies lead to a range of health issues such as anaemia, low energy, poor memory and nerve damage. Vitamin B12 is not usually found in plant-based foods and is primarily gained through eating meat, fish, eggs and milk products. ‘A lot of people don’t eat meat, and production of it is less sustainable compared to the production of vegetables,’ says Professor Chisti. ‘We are working to produce vegetable-based foods that are enriched with vitamin B12 produced naturally by microbial action.’ As an example of this, he names the fermentation of fruit as a source of the vitamin.

Dr Chisti is also working to enrich foods with other nutrients, such as the fatty acids DHA, necessary for the development of the human brain, and EPA, essential for cardiovascular health. ‘We produce these metabolites using microalgae, and the metabolites can then be extracted and added to food, or the algae can be directly incorporated in foods to provide these metabolites,’ he explains.

In another area of research, Professor Chisti is working to enhance the sustainability of aquaculture. Fish and other seafood are generally considered a healthier option than other meat products, as they are a leaner source of protein and other nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids. Demand for seafood has increased to the point where consumption is now higher than that of beef. However, according to the United Nations, a third of fish populations are overfished and 60 per cent are fished to the limit of their sustainability.

A potential solution to this lies in aquaculture, which has become so widespread that the world now produces more seafood from aquaculture than from the wild. And yet seafood farming is not without its own sustainability issues. ‘The