Meat, fish, poultry are widely available for our consumption
today. Many of the world’s population have access to protein sources not only
from animals, but from plants. It may not feel like there’s a need to augment current
protein sources, but this will be more pronounced in the future as the
population increases, as part of food security.
When I come across reports on cultured meat, test-tube meat
– future meat, I admit it does pique my curiosity and I begin to imagine
flavors and textures. Cultured meat refers to any meat that is grown outside of
an animal.
The most recent report is from Memphis Meat, which in
February this year debuted meat grown from cells of cows, pigs, and chickens.
The US-based tech company said among its first products would be sausages, hot
dogs, burgers, and meatballs made using recipes from award-winning chefs. You’ll
have to wait for about five years to taste those products, which by the way
would probably taste “normal” if we take the word of those who’ve tasted the
meatballs unveiled in San Francisco.
By then, would the products be much, much more affordable?
According to Memphis Meat, it now costs about $18,000 to produce one pound of
beef.
We’d like to see prices go down of course, if we are to
consider cultured meat as an alternative protein source for a fast-rising
population.
But Memphis Meat is optimistic, saying cultured meat is the
future of meat. In a press release, CEO Uma Valeti, M.D. said, “We plan to do
to animal agriculture what the car did to the horse and buggy. Cultured meat
will completely replace the status quo and make raising animals to eat them
simply unthinkable.”
Edible insects for
human nutrition
The cheaper yet nonetheless high sources of protein are edible
insects which are consumed as part of a normal diet in many cultures for quite
some time, both for humans and animals. Insects are eaten crispy fried, boiled
or dry, or mixed into other products.
Edible insects are abundant in nature. But many people – in
the West – can’t imagine doing so, which is perfectly understandable. See
people squirm when contestants in the Fear Factor or The Amazing Race have to eat
insects.
But once we understand that these creatures are protein, we ought
to be open to the idea, because we may see more of them in the future. Maybe we may
not see them physically on the plate as when insects are turned into flour or
incorporated into other foods. But they will be present in the diet.
Bühler
and ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich) have recently announced
a joint venture for sustainable food and feed supply for humans and animals.
In a press release, Ian Roberts, Chief Technology Officer of
Bühler, “Together, we plan to create the basis for the industrial utilization
of alternative sources of protein such as pulses, algae, and insects to ensure
a sustainable supply of food and feed for humans and animals and to make them
attractive for consumers.”
Bühler will support the chair of the Sustainable Food
Processing Group at the Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health of the ETH
Zurich, affiliated with the World Food System Center, Prof. Alexander Mathys.
Meanwhile in China, the company and a local partner will put
up a pilot facility that would process fly larvae and mealworms on an
industrial scale. These will be turned into insect flour to replace fishmeal
plus a high-grade fat with properties similar to those of palm kernel oil.
Protein sources from
plants
We can be more comfortable with eating vegetables rich in
protein. Legumes, pulses, soy, mankai. Read our reports on these.
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