Last summer, the EU Commission proposed exempting certain genome-edited plants from the scope of EU genetic engineering legislation and thus facilitating their market access. The planned relaxation only affects plants that have been developed using new genomic technologies (NGT) such as the CRISPR-Cas gene scissors and are considered equivalent to conventionally bred plants, i.e. do not contain any foreign genes. This category is called NGT-1 plants.

Due to their diverse ingredients, algae are not only interesting for the food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries. They can also be used to dye textiles and as a raw material supplier for the production of biopolymers. The Berlin start-up Vyld is the first to use the potential of seaweed for the production of sustainable hygiene products. The aim is to develop menstrual products. The non-profit company has now secured fresh capital from investors in an early-stage financing round.

The market for vegetarian and vegan products is booming. According to the Federal Statistical Office, 104,300 tons of meat substitute products were produced in Germany in 2022 - an increase of around 17% compared to the previous year. So far, plant-based proteins made from wheat or pulses such as peas and soy have dominated the market for meat-free alternatives. Biotech start-up Infinite Roots, on the other hand, uses mycelia from mushrooms to produce vegan meat substitutes.

Whether heat, drought or flooding: Weather extremes put food crops such as wheat under stress and increasingly lead to crop failures. In addition to research into new resistant varieties that can withstand the effects of climate change and secure food supplies, diagnostic tools are needed to detect climate-related stress symptoms or diseases in plants at an early stage. Two imaging methods that have proven their worth in human medicine should also provide a remedy in agriculture in the future.

The agricultural and food industry is in a state of transition. Not only climate change, but also the increasing demand for healthy and sustainably produced products as well as new regulations and laws are forcing the industry to act. Specialists in the agricultural and food industry must therefore increasingly take international and interdisciplinary contexts into account. The Technical University of Munich (TUM) wants to address this development with a new Master's degree course in agriculture.

According to estimates, more than 900 million tons of residual biomass are produced throughout the European Union every year. Only a small proportion of this is recycled and fermented in biogas plants, for example. The majority, around 98%, ends up in, incineration plants or landfill sites. But this is now set to change.

Whether in the construction of buildings, the extraction and transportation of raw materials or the production of building materials such as concrete, the construction industry produces enormous amounts of greenhouse gases and, according to the Federal Environment Agency, consumes more than 70% of all raw materials mined in Germany. To conserve resources and the environment in equal measure, renewable building materials such as wood, straw and hemp are becoming increasingly important.

Rice is one of the most important staple foods in the world and is grown in many sub-Saharan African countries, among others. However, rice production in the region is threatened by the Rice Yellow Mottle Virus (RYMV). It leads to considerable crop failures, which can threaten the livelihoods of small farmers in particular.

Whether waste paper, cereal straw, food waste or sewage sludge: the use of residual and waste materials to manufacture new bio-based products is a cornerstone of the bioeconomy strategy and a precursor to a sustainable and resource-conserving economy. But which biomasses are available, which can be used for material or energy purposes and in what quantities are they available? Answers can be found in the resource database of the German Biomass Research Center (DBFZ). Researchers at the DBFZ have now revised the online platform.