Competition/Tracks/Food Nutrition
Food & Nutrition Track
Until 2014, Food and Energy were included as a track in iGEM. In 2015, we separated these two concepts into the Food and Nutrition Track and the Energy Track. We want to highlight that while there is a lot of crossover in these two track ideas, they seek to resolve fundamentally different problems.
Everybody needs to eat. But with over 7 billion people on the planet, the problem of producing enough food and energy is complex and multi-faceted. While nations have different ideas about cuisine, everybody needs roughly the same number of calories per day. These calories can come from many sources, but world agricultural land and water use is increasingly stretched to cope with our current population. Better solutions that don't rely on unsustainable fishing practices, increased arable land and industrial agriculture are needed to cope with our ever-expanding population.
You will find images and abstracts of the winning Food or Energy teams from 2011 to 2013 in the page below. Also, follow the links below to see projects from all the Food or Energy track teams.
Sydney Australia 2016
FRES(H)
According to Avocados Australia, the majority of damage to avocados occurs at the store level from people squeezing the fruit to test for ripeness. However, this sort of damage is not just isolated to avocados; so how else can we confidently predict the ripeness of fruit before buying it? iGEM USYD 2016 introduces FRES(H): a sticker that can “sense” the ripening hormone ethylene being produced by a piece of fruit. The sticker is a cell-based biosensor containing E. coli that express two Mycobacteria proteins. The first, a protein kinase, detects ethylene and phosphorylates the second protein, a response regulator. This interaction causes transcription of a chromoprotein, producing a bright blue colour. Through calibrating the sensitivity of the system, a whole range of ethylene levels can be detected, empowering fruit lovers with the knowledge they will be eating the freshest fruit every time.
Marburg 2015
NUTRInity: Make the gut a better world!
To tackle malnutrition and overconsumption of food represent one of the major challenges of humankind. The iGEM Team Marburg addresses these issues in a holistic approach by developing modular tools. Engineered, cell-based particles produce dietary supplements to alleviate malnutrition. A cell-free protein matrix with a functionalized surface targets specific nutrients to lower their concentration in the human gut. Furthermore, we engineer a contact-dependent delivery system that modifies the human gut microbial community. Taken together, we provide innovative solutions for improving and balancing nutrition at the interface of the human microbiome and gut.
