Skip to content
  • Happy Health
  • Happy Mindset
  • Animal Wonders
  • About Us
    • Team
  • Subscribe
Menu
  • Happy Health
  • Happy Mindset
  • Animal Wonders
  • About Us
    • Team
  • Subscribe
Happy News

The AI Breakthrough That Could End Deforestation Forever

A Paris based biotech company called SMEY has developed lab grown oils including cocoa butter, palm oil, and shea oil using AI driven yeast fermentation that produces these products in just 30 days compared to the two years needed for traditional harvesting, potentially curbing one of the world’s biggest drivers of deforestation. Behind everyday products like chocolate, snacks, and lotions lies a devastating reality: vast tropical forests in Southeast Asia, West Africa, and Latin America are being cleared for these crops, putting species like orangutans, tigers, and elephants at massive risk while releasing millions of tons of carbon into the atmosphere. SMEY’s system uses the Neobank of Yeasts, a digital database of more than 1,000 non GMO yeast strains that are “trained” through fermentation technology to produce oils that mimic or even improve upon the fatty acid composition, stability, and texture of natural oils.

An AI platform called SMEY.AI analyzes the yeast’s genomic and metabolic data to predict the best strain for each product, shrinking research and development cycles by nearly 96% and reducing years of trial and error to a single month while allowing oils to be tailored to client needs. The timing couldn’t be more urgent as starting in December 2025, the European Union will enforce strict new rules where any company importing products linked to deforestation could face fines of up to 4% of global revenue, forcing cosmetics, food, and chemical manufacturers to race for deforestation free ingredients. Lab grown oils created through biotech fermentation require no pesticides, little land, and minimal pollution when powered by renewable energy, avoiding the biodiversity collapse, soil erosion, water pollution, and widespread labor abuses including child and forced labor that plague traditional palm oil plantations and cocoa farming. While challenges remain including higher costs due to smaller production scales and consumer hesitation toward lab produced oils, experts believe these products won’t completely replace agricultural oils but will diversify supply chains, reduce exposure to fragile farming systems, and help global brands meet looming regulations while cutting deforestation and carbon emissions, proving that artificial palm oil and cocoa butter might soon become key players in the fight against climate change.

PrevPreviousThe Self Portrait Auction That Made History For Female Artists
NextSolar Panels As Giant Umbrellas Solves TWO ProblemsNext

Recent Articles

Happy News

This Award Show Is Finally Returning Soon

February 7, 2026

Billboard Women in Music is returning in 2026 to celebrate another year of women’s excellence in the music industry, with the annual awards show taking place at The Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles to recognize the bold vision, global influence and artistic excellence of women transforming music across all genres.

Read More
Happy News

McDonald’s Brings Back Most Requested Happy Meal Toy

February 7, 2026

McDonald’s announced it is bringing back the Changeables Happy Meal featuring nostalgic toys originally launched in 1987 that transform from McDonald’s menu items like French fries into robots and dinosaurs, marking the return of what the company calls “the most requested” Happy Meal toy from the past. The Changeables officially

Read More
Happy News

Fourth Graders Get Music Lesson From Rihanna’s Husband

February 7, 2026

A$AP Rocky headed back to a Harlem elementary school to teach kids a thing or two about rap for the Wednesday episode of Celebrity Substitute, where Mr. Mayers’ class was in session and fourth graders got a crash course in hip hop from one of the neighborhood’s most famous success

Read More
« Previous Next »
  • Privacy Notice
  • Accessibility Notice
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
  • Unsubscribe
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Privacy Notice
  • Accessibility Notice
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
  • Unsubscribe
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
Copyright © 2026 HappyNews.