What are biosolutions?
Biosolutions are nature's own tools
Biological industrial solutions – or in short, biosolutions – offer a powerful pathway to accelerate the transition towards a sustainable and greener future. Leveraging the potential of enzymes, microorganisms, bacterial cultures, and other biological tools, biosolutions can contribute to reducing environmental and climate impact.
‘Inspired by nature’ is the principal concept of biosolutions. Evolution has given nature a head start of millions of years to find solutions to the problems that humanity now faces.
From traditional economy to circular economy
We live in a transformative time – transitioning from a traditional economy to a more circular, bio-based and sustainable economy. In less than 20 years, the world will need an estimated 40-50% more energy, water, and food. Combined with climate change and other global crises, it is urgent that we rethink and act on a larger scale.
The future of sustainability
In the world of biotechnology, microbes and enzymes hold the promise of solving major problems. They drive innovation, creating biosolutions for a better world. These solutions play a vital role in achieving a greener, more circular economy. The green transition emphasizes clean energy, carbon neutrality, and emission reduction. Green infrastructure and resource management are crucial, optimizing resource use. Biosolutions minimize waste and environmental impact while maximizing economic and environmental benefits. Promoting biosolutions that align with biodiversity preservation and ecosystem restoration is a key driver of the green transition, fostering climate resilience in our communities.
Fermentation
Fermentation of food is an old technology used to safely preserve food for a longer period of time: for example, in bread, cheese, wine, and fish.
Fermentation is the breakdown of carbs like starch and sugar by microorganisms such as bacteria or yeast. The technology is widely used in the current food system, where it is used in anything from animal feed to yoghurt. Fermentation has the potential to enable a more sustainable food system with safer food by reducing spoilage and pathogens.
Fermentation can also help produce healthier food and reduce food waste: for example, by improving the nutritional composition of food and prolonging the shelf life. Microorganisms can be genetically engineered to produce high-value products such as nutrients, bio-pheromones, and bio-materials through precision fermentation.
Enzymes
All living things have enzymes. Enzymes are biologically active proteins found everywhere in nature.
When one substance needs to be transformed into another, nature uses enzymes to speed up and control the process. Enzymes are small biological catalysts that increase the speed of various processes in
living organisms. In the absence of enzymes, all chemical reactions would be so slow that the organism could not function. Enzymes can be used on an industrial scale to optimize output, deliver better products, and accelerate processes, while saving water, energy and raw materials.
Bacteria
With bacteria we can boost plant health, keep food products fresh and safe for longer.
There are more bacteria on this planet than grains of sand – billions more. Bacteria are the most powerful life form on earth. Bacteria and other microorganisms are essential for our survival (over 90 percent of the genes humans carry stem from the bacteria with which we live in close symbiosis). With bacteria we can boost plant health, keep food products fresh and safe for longer, simply because the good bacteria help to naturally inhibit the development of pathogens and mold.
Yeast
Yeats consumes sugar and produces by-products such as alcohol, carbon dioxide that makes the bread dough rise, and other biochemical compounds.
Yeast is a another microorganism, which has been present in the world for hundreds of millions of years. Yeast is actually a fungus, but it grows as single cells, rather than as a mushroom. Yeast enables fermentation, and thanks to advances in genetical engineering yeast – just like bacteria – can
be modified to produce high value products.