From 2013.igem.org

iGEM Home

• Home
• Team
  • Our Journey
  • Attributions
• Project
  • CRISPR
  • Flavours
  • Parts
  • Modeling
• Notebook
  • CRISPR
  • Caffeine
  • Flavours
  • Protocols
  • Safety
• Human Practices
  • Interviews
  • Survey Results
  • Marketing Strategy
  • Space-R
  • GMO Labeling
  • GMO Timeline
• Achievements

Caffeine

Caffeine is arguably the most popular stimulant added to food and beverages, as evident from the huge demand for coffee and energy drinks. Its popularity and widespread use has made sustainable “green” production desirable. Currently, the predominant method of producing caffeine is commercially harvesting plants that naturally produce it, such as Coffea arabica, and decaffeinating the seeds.

We aimed to first implement the caffeine biosynthesis pathway in E. coli as part of a proof-of-concept showing that the CRISPR system could be used to alter population dynamics in bioreactors. Transferring the system into common Lactobacillus strains found in yogurt would be the next step. This is largely building on the work of the 2012 TU Munich team, which successfully got caffeine precursors expressed in yeast.