Ayana Bio CEO urges industry action as climate change threatens crop nutrition

Rising temperatures, extreme weather, and industrialized farming are depleting the nutrient content of fruits and vegetables with little consumer awareness. While climate change often alters crops’ essential mineral and vitamin content, some stress conditions can boost beneficial compounds like polyphenols and flavonoids. 

Nutrition Insight speaks to Frank Jaksch, CEO of Ayana Bio, who explains how environmental changes are impacting plant nutrition, why industrial farming practices accelerate nutrient loss, and how plant cell cultivation can offer a scalable solution to produce consistent, nutrient-rich ingredients. 

Does climate change make vegetables and fruits lose nutrients?
Jaksch: For the most part, climate change can deplete key nutrients in our crops, but certain conditions can also increase some compounds. Rising levels of CO2 have been shown to reduce key nutrients such as protein, iron, and zinc in staple crops like wheat and rice.

Conversely, stress conditions such as drought or heat can sometimes lead to an increase in secondary metabolites (e.g., polyphenols, flavonoids) as plants produce more protective compounds in response to environmental stress. These secondary metabolites, which help plants survive by acting as antioxidants, antimicrobial agents, and stress protectants, also offer powerful health benefits to humans.

At Ayana Bio, we harness nature’s resilience through plant cell cultivation. By carefully controlling the environmental conditions of the plant cells and exposing them to stress, we optimize the production of these valuable bioactives — without the unpredictability of traditional agriculture. This approach ensures a consistent, scalable, and nutrient-dense supply of key compounds for supplements, functional foods, and beverages.

How do the impacts of heat, drought, and floods change the vitamins in plants?
Jaksch: Extreme weather events can significantly alter the nutrient composition of vegetables, and in severe cases, such as droughts and floods, can cause complete crop failure. Higher temperatures can accelerate plant metabolism, leading to faster growth but reduced nutrient uptake, often lowering levels of minerals like calcium, magnesium, and potassium. Drought conditions further limit nutrient absorption from the soil, while excess water from floods can leach nutrients away and increase the risk of fungal contamination, reducing overall vitamin content.

Plant cell cultivation and AgTech offer scalable, sustainable solutions for boosting plant cell and crop nutrition.However, some plants respond to stress by increasing certain nutrients. For example, heat-stressed tomatoes may produce more vitamin C and lycopene as a protective mechanism. The specific impact varies by crop, environmental conditions, and stress intensity.

The biggest impact of nutrient loss is more widely attributed to industrialized agriculture, which focuses on improving yield per acre and selective breeding to produce more visually desirable, disease-resistant, and larger fruits and vegetables at the expense of nutrient density. Tomatoes exemplify this trend. A review of “Tomatoland” highlights that today’s tomatoes contain 14% less vitamin C, 30% less thiamin, 19% less niacin, and 62% less calcium compared to those grown in the 1960s.

High temperatures and drought conditions can also reduce essential nutrients in vegetables. For example, studies indicate that drought can lower iron levels in beans. These changes highlight the need for innovative solutions to maintain the nutrient density of crops as climate conditions shift.

Can farmers grow vegetables in a way that keeps their nutrients safe?
Jaksch: Farmers can use climate-smart agriculture practices to help maintain nutrient density in vegetables. Soil health is key — regenerative farming, organic matter, and biofertilizers can improve nutrient retention. Additionally, planting heat- and drought-tolerant crop varieties developed through advanced breeding techniques can help crops withstand extreme weather while preserving nutrients.

The biggest impact of nutrient loss is more widely attributed to industrialized agriculture.However, because outdoor crops are exposed to variable climate conditions, maintaining consistent nutrient density from season to season is challenging. Innovations like plant cell cultivation and AgTech offer scalable, sustainable solutions for producing nutrient-rich plant bioactives and crops, independent of environmental stressors.

How can stores and farmers make sure people still want to buy these vegetables?
Jaksch: Farmers and retailers typically do not test or disclose the nutrient composition of the produce they grow and sell, and consumers often assume that all fresh fruits and vegetables are equally nutrient-dense. However, factors like soil quality, weather conditions, and climate stress can cause significant variations in nutrient levels.

Take blueberries for example. While widely recognized as a superfood, anthocyanin levels can fluctuate dramatically depending on growing conditions. Despite widespread recognition of their health benefits, there is little public awareness about nutrient variability in fresh produce.

To address this, the industry must take the lead in developing solutions. Until consumers are made more aware of these differences, it will be up to industry experts to drive meaningful change and implement solutions.

Nutrition Insight previously spoke with Jaksch about enhancing ultra-processed foods with cultivated plant cells for health claims.