If you understand nutrition at all, there’s an obvious flaw here: because it’s producing only hydrocarbons, this process – if it really works – produces only macronutrients (fats, proteins, and carbohydrates). In order to be healthy, organisms also require micronutrients like vitamins, minerals, and various phytochemicals.
Still, this would make a big difference in, for example, space, where shipping food is extremely expensive. If it works, that is.
Originally shared by Tom Eigelsbach
The method releases food production from restrictions related to the environment. The protein can be produced anywhere renewable energy, such as solar energy, is available. The entire process requires only electricity, water, carbon dioxide, and microbes. Only the required amount of fertilizer-like nutrients is used in the closed process. After exposing the raw materials to electrolysis in a bioreactor, the mixture is very nutritious, with more than 50% protein and 25% carbohydrates. The rest is fats and nucleic acids.
According to estimates by the researchers, the process of creating food from electricity can be nearly 10 times as energy-efficient as common photosynthesis, which is used for cultivation of soy and other products. For the product to be competitive, the production process must become even more efficient. Currently, the production of one gram of protein takes around two weeks, using laboratory equipment that is about the size of a coffee cup.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/07/170719090025.htm
