Plant cell culture involves growing plant cells in controlled environments, like bioreactors, to produce desired plant-derived products without cultivating whole plants. Plant cell culture doesn't rely on soil, weather, or large land areas, offering a resilient and climate-independent solution for stable and sustainable supply chains. 

Plant cell culture has been studied since the 1950s and has been used for over 20 years to produce plant-derived pharmaceuticals. In recent years, plant cell culture has expanded into industries like cosmetics, nutraceuticals, food, and biomaterials. Today, the focus is on making this technology scalable for everyday products, known as microbotanics. 

Microbotanics is the use of plant cell culture to create everyday products like cosmetics, food, and biomaterials. The name combines “micro” (referring to the microscopic building blocks of plants—the cells) and “botanics” (meaning related to plants). 

Microbotanical products come in two main forms: plant cell extracts and plant cell biomass. Extracts (like vanilla, saffron, and aloe vera) contain bioactive compounds used in cosmetics, fragrances, and nutraceuticals. Biomass refers to whole plant cells, which can be dried into powders (for coffee, cocoa, etc.) or processed for materials like wood and cotton. Emerging innovations include cultured fruits (growing only the fruit) and 3D-printed plant-derived products. These products can either mimic nature or be enhanced for better performance in their applications. 

What’s being grown? Microbotanics cultivates plant cells, while precision fermentation grows microorganisms like bacteria or fungi.

Where do the products come from? Microbotanics produces natural plant compounds directly from plant cells (e.g., grape polyphenols from grape cells) or uses whole plant cells as biomass (e.g., coffee cells from arabica coffee shrubs). Precision fermentation engineers microorganisms to produce molecules from other species, like lactoferrin (a dairy protein) made in yeast.

What do they produce? Microbotanics creates complex plant extracts (e.g., vanilla extract with hundreds of natural compounds) or whole plant cell biomass (e.g., cocoa cells for cocoa powder). Precision fermentation makes purified single molecules, like casein, heme, or collagen.

How are products processed? In microbotanics, plant cells keep their compounds inside the cell. For biomass products like cocoa and coffee, the cells are harvested, washed, and dried into powder. For extracts, bioactive compounds are separated from the cells. In precision fermentation, the target molecule is secreted into the surrounding liquid and is purified from the culture.

Growing conditions: Plant cell culture can thrive in conditions similar to natural plant growth (~23–27°C, normal air), requiring less energy. Cultivated meat needs body-like conditions (~37°C, 5% CO₂) with controlled oxygen levels to support animal cell metabolism.

Nutrients required: Plant cells need simple nutrients like sugars, minerals, and vitamins, making them cost-effective. Plant cells can grow with a minimal set of vitamins and do not require amino acids. Plant growth regulators are generally inexpensive, making sugars the primary cost factor in plant cell culture media. Cultivated meat requires a complex and expensive growth medium with specialized growth factors.

How they grow: Plant cells grow freely in liquid, where single cells or small aggregates float freely in the medium, making the process straightforward. Animal cells often need scaffolds and special systems to support cell growth, 3D tissue creation, and gas and nutrient exchange.

Processing & final product: Microbotanics involve a single plant cell line, with the final product being either dried plant cells in powder form or cell extracts, making downstream processing less complex. Cultured meat products are often complex structures, incorporating multiple animal cell types and scaffolds to replicate muscle, fat, and connective tissue.

Cell growth potential: Plant cells, such as callus or meristematic cells, can grow indefinitely under the right conditions. Animal cells have a limited proliferation capacity and may need immortalization to keep growing.

Microbotanics and cultivated meat are completely different technologies. While both technologies involve growing cells in controlled environments, they serve completely different purposes.

Most microbotanical products are non-GMO and made without genetic engineering. Plant cell culture uses naturally occurring plant cells, like callus or stem cells, to grow and produce valuable compounds without altering their DNA. Instead, natural plant signaling compounds are used to optimize production.

In some specialized cases, plant cells may be genetically modified to enhance or remove certain compounds, such as for pharmaceutical use. However, the final purified extracts typically do not contain genetically modified material.

Plant cell culture offers a sustainable way to produce everyday products like cosmetics, food, and biomaterials. Unlike traditional farming, it doesn’t require large amounts of land, pesticides, or fertilizers, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and environmental impact.

Microbotanics grow without soil and use minimal water, ensuring consistent yields regardless of climate conditions. The main environmental factor is electricity use, which can be reduced with renewable energy. Using sustainable feedstocks, like responsibly sourced sugars, further enhances its eco-friendly benefits.