Coffee without the coffee bean, bioplastic burial pods, fruit and algae clothing, soy straws, and more: The Digest’s Top 10 Innovations for the week of April 12th

The pace of bioeconomy invention and change continues at a frenetic pace. Here are the top innovations for the week of April 12th

In today’s Digest, coffee without the coffee bean, bioplastic burial pods, fruit and algae clothing, soy straws — these and more, ready for you now at The Digest online.

#1 Coffee without the coffee bean – molecular coffee kicks it up a notch

In California, a new coffee is in town that doesn’t even use coffee beans. Atomo Coffee has created what tastes and looks like traditional coffee by analyzing the molecular compounds in coffee and using them to create coffee without coffee beans.

Jarret Stopforth, Ph.D., Chief Scientist and Co-founder basically reverse engineered the bean to create coffee from the ground up. “We looked at all the compounds in coffee at a molecular level – the body, mouthfeel, aroma, color – over 1,000 compounds in a roasted bean. We found the essential compounds for aroma and flavor. Then we sourced naturally-derived compounds to design our own coffee.

“We are building mouthfeel and body of molecular coffee to mimic that of conventional coffee by replacing the polysaccharides, oils and proteins found in the insoluble part of the coffee ground with natural, sustainable and upcycled plant-based materials that deliver the same great effect,” said Dr. Jarret Stopforth. At this time they aren’t disclosing their ingredients.
More on the story, here.