Inaugural Riddet-AgResearch Chair in Alternative Proteins appointed

Professor Munish Puri is an expert in growing food on a small scale. On a micro scale, to be precise.

The newly appointed Riddet-AgResearch Chair in Alternative Proteins creates what he calls 'cell factories' to produce essential molecules. These molecules can be used to grow food, or serve as food ingredients delivering targeted nutrition like healthy fats, beneficial enzymes or essential proteins.

The inaugural appointment of the Chair in Alternative Proteins is a post jointly funded by two research entities undertaking innovative research in food science: AgResearch and the Riddet Institute. The joint-professorship aims to strengthen Aotearoa New Zealand's capacity in the fast-growing cultivated food industry.

Professor Puri works from a joint food science facility at Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University in Palmerston North, where both the Riddet Institute and AgResearch share a collaborative workspace equipped with comprehensive laboratory and pilot food plant facilities.  

He holds a PhD in industrial biotechnology and is a pioneer in alternative proteins, precision fermentation and cellular agriculture. Professor Puri comes most recently from a role as Associate Professor in Medical Biotechnology at Flinders University in Melbourne.  

He says his mission is to innovate, develop and deliver sustainable and nutritious foods that will shape the future of the global food industry. These new food systems will not compete with conventional agriculture but will complement existing production, providing diversification and resilience to the sector.

Bioprocessing uses non-genetic approaches to manipulate microbes to create novel high-value nutraceutical products for food and medical applications.

The starting point is a cell.

He adds that promising results can be achieved using naturally occurring yeasts, microalgae and fungi.  

“Nature is a rich reservoir of these resources. We bring them to the lab, and screen them to get specific microbial cells rich in proteins, smart fats, and other macro molecules and essential micronutrients.”

Professor Puri says the technique is not actually new. It has been used for decades to manufacture vaccines, and scientists have also been producing an enzyme called chymosin for cheese production since the 1980s, to replace the need for rennet from calves.  

“We have already been producing pharmaceuticals like this. The best example is insulin for diabetes.”

The technology requires specialised equipment and infrastructure and research staff. Professor Puri has hired research officers and postdoctoral scientists and is currently recruiting three PhD students. New bioprocessing equipment is also on order.

In Palmerston North, he will focus on producing proteins and 'smart fats'. He will be developing new nutritious foods, in collaboration with the food product development team at the Riddet Institute and the emerging foods project team at AgResearch.

He says proteins are always being talked about, but protein is not the only molecule that can be grown in the lab.

“We can also produce smart fats, polysaccharides, vitamins, carotenoids and highly nutritive oils. This is the advantage of the technology.”

The technology is currently costly and time-consuming, but Professor Puri anticipates a future where it will provide a much-needed source of food. The new foods will not only need to rival conventional food nutritionally, and in the sensory eating experience, they must also deliver on price. One day they will.

But industry involvement in the research is a must.

“We need larger scale manufacturing facilities to bring the cost down.”

Professor Puri says Australia and New Zealand currently lack scaling up capacity. Countries like Singapore and the United States are already leading the way in production facilities. But New Zealand’s reputation for premium produce will be a huge advantage in the marketplace.

He says these new foods will not only meet the growing consumer demand for non-animal sourced food, but also address the malnutrition in countries with limited agriculture.

“In Australia and New Zealand we have abundance – we are blessed with food choice and availability – so perhaps these foods won’t be consumed here. They are likely to be exported and will boost our export revenue.”

The Riddet Institute is a Centre of Research Excellence (CoRE) hosted by Massey University, focusing on human nutrition and food research. AgResearch is a Crown Research Institute specialising in the pastoral and agritechnology sectors.

Riddet Institute Director Distinguished Professor Harjinder Singh says the new role demonstrates the strength of the partnership between AgResearch, the Riddet Institute and Massey University.

AgResearch Science Group Manager Stefan Clerens says the new professorship utilises the specialties of both the Riddet Institute and AgResearch to lead the way in food science.

“We are partners in the CoRE, and partners in the building, so it’s a natural other step to also partner in advanced science.”