TY - JOUR

T1 - From the lab to the field and closer to the market: Production of the biopolymer cyanophycin in plants

AU - Huckauf, Jana

AU - Weisenfeld, Ursula

AU - Broer, Inge

PY - 2025/7/25

Y1 - 2025/7/25

N2 - A range of studies has investigated the production of biopolymers in plants but a comprehensive assessment of feasibility and environmental safety and consumer acceptance is lacking. This review delivers such an assessment. It describes the establishment of the production in tobacco and potato, the analysis of lead events in the greenhouse and in the field, the establishment and upscaling of effective isolation processes and storage conditions, taking the cyanobacterial storage peptide cyanophycin (CGP) as an example. The paper lists several industrial and medical applications of CGP and its building blocks Arg-Asp-dipeptides. This production is especially interesting because the CGP content can exceed 10 % of the dry weight (dw) in the greenhouse and still deliver 4 g per plant in the field. Furthermore, risk assessment of CGP production in potatoes in vitro, in vivo, in the greenhouse, and in the field showed no relevant differences concerning environment or consumer safety compared with the near isogenic control. A consumer choice analysis in four European countries showed a preference for biodegradable CGP in food-wrapping materials over conventional plastic wrapping. Although data on economic feasibility is lacking, CGP as a renewable, biodegradable and CO2-neutrally produced compound, is preferable over fossil fuels in many applications.

AB - A range of studies has investigated the production of biopolymers in plants but a comprehensive assessment of feasibility and environmental safety and consumer acceptance is lacking. This review delivers such an assessment. It describes the establishment of the production in tobacco and potato, the analysis of lead events in the greenhouse and in the field, the establishment and upscaling of effective isolation processes and storage conditions, taking the cyanobacterial storage peptide cyanophycin (CGP) as an example. The paper lists several industrial and medical applications of CGP and its building blocks Arg-Asp-dipeptides. This production is especially interesting because the CGP content can exceed 10 % of the dry weight (dw) in the greenhouse and still deliver 4 g per plant in the field. Furthermore, risk assessment of CGP production in potatoes in vitro, in vivo, in the greenhouse, and in the field showed no relevant differences concerning environment or consumer safety compared with the near isogenic control. A consumer choice analysis in four European countries showed a preference for biodegradable CGP in food-wrapping materials over conventional plastic wrapping. Although data on economic feasibility is lacking, CGP as a renewable, biodegradable and CO2-neutrally produced compound, is preferable over fossil fuels in many applications.

KW - Plant made industrials

KW - Tobacco

KW - Potato

KW - Field trial

KW - Risk assessment

KW - Consumer acceptance

KW - Management studies

U2 - 10.1016/j.nbt.2025.02.006

DO - 10.1016/j.nbt.2025.02.006

M3 - Journal articles

C2 - 40024522

VL - 87

SP - 29

EP - 38

JO - New Biotechnology

JF - New Biotechnology

SN - 1871-6784

ER -