Mankind will be weaned off meat

Despite the surge in interest in protein meat substitutes, the industry is in no hurry to implement new technologies due to the lack of clear standards and requirements for such products. Recently, FoodNavigator magazine prepared a special review devoted to the issue of prospects for the development of the meat substitute industry.

According to experts, the continuous growth of the planet's total population leads to a constant increase in demand for meat and its substitutes.

At the same time, finding sustainable alternative sources of protein that do not rely on livestock farming is vital. So what alternatives do we have?

There are already a number of products on the market today that are positioned as meat substitutes, from soy and wheat protein to tofu and Quorn, a mycoprotein obtained by fermentation from the fungus Fusarium venenatum.

But the continuous growth in demand for affordable meat substitutes requires the development of fundamentally new approaches and products that could one day completely displace regular meat from store shelves.

Extraction of plant proteins, algae, insects and even artificial meat grown in a test tube are among the main areas of development in the industry.

Meat from vegetables

Already today, there are many plant protein-based ingredients on the market to replace meat, including soy, wheat and peas.

Last year, textured vegetable protein maker Sotexpro and starch maker Roquette teamed up to develop a new pea-based texturing agent that could be used to make a complete meat substitute. Another firm, Solbar, already offers a line of vegetable proteins that claim to replicate most red meat, poultry, fish, and seafood in the production of vegetarian meat substitutes. They can also be used to improve the texture and flavor of real meat products.

In addition to these proposals, there are a number of international research projects to develop plant protein products that can replace meat.

The EU-funded LikeMeat project plans to use raw vegetable seeds to produce protein products that are identical in texture, taste and aroma to animal meat products, says project coordinator Florian Wild.

“Our goal is to develop a plant-based meat substitute that is not only juicy and fibrous, but also tasty,” Wild explained. “Our group’s task is to find a way to produce a product from vegetable seeds that can replace meat in full accordance with the demands of our consumers,” she said in an interview with FoodNavigator.

The researcher explained that there are several plants suitable for producing meat substitutes, primarily wheat, peas, lupines and soybeans.

— We deliberately do not limit ourselves to using one of the options, since some people may be allergic to certain products.

Seaweed?

Algae are known for their high protein content - up to 47% of dry weight, according to scientists. This rich protein content makes algae one of the most interesting non-animal protein sources.

Protein extracted from algae is significantly cheaper than meat. Dutch research organization TNO is investigating the use of algae growing in cold northern waters to produce proteins. According to the researchers, these algae could become an environmentally friendly, rich and cheap source of protein that could replace meat in the human diet.

TNO scientist Korstanje spoke about the protein rubisco contained in algae, which, thanks to its structuring properties, can be used to stabilize foam, meaning it has high potential for producing meat substitutes.

The future belongs to insects

Eating insects may be natural for many cultures, but Western consumers are prejudiced against eating our six-legged neighbors.

However, products made from purified insect protein undoubtedly have a great future. The European Union and a number of national food agencies in European countries are already spending considerable funds on developing food products that include insect ingredients.

Why? It's very simple - insects are not inferior to meat in terms of calories and nutritional properties, but they contain less fat and are much cheaper.

Many insects are extremely rich in nutrients such as calcium, iron, niacin, proteins, potassium, and vitamins.

Last year, the UK Food Safety Agency reported that cleaned or partially cleaned insects could be an efficient and commercially viable source of protein. The Dutch government has long advocated for the promotion of insect consumption.

The European Union plans to allocate €3 million to research into the "prospects of using insects as an alternative source of protein."

— Basically, there are three ways to eat insects. First, you can eat insects whole, in a recognizable form. Second, you can make nutritional powders and pastes from insects. Third, you can use proteins extracted from insect tissues in food production, — said Harmke Klunder from the University of Wanningen, the Netherlands, the leader of one of the studies on developing methods for preparing food from insects.

However, many experts warn that Western consumers will likely have to rely on "hybrid products" in which individual insect ingredients are hidden under the guise of regular food.

Test tube burgers?

In addition to alternative protein sources, there is great interest in work on growing meat in laboratory conditions.

Professor Mark Post, from Maastricht University in the Netherlands, says in vitro meat technology could help meet the growing demand for meat products as the world's population grows.

Post is working on an efficient technology for growing skeletal muscle tissue in the laboratory that is completely similar to regular meat and suitable for cooking. Some progress has already been made in this direction.

The world's first hamburger made from "test tube" meat is expected to appear this year.

Last year, in an interview with FoodNavigator, Post revealed that his team was working on growing a burger from about 10,000 cow stem cells.

To grow a piece of muscle tissue fit for making a hamburger, the original cells must divide more than a billion times.

An unknown private benefactor donated 250,000 euros to carry out the project. According to Dr. Post, this person motivated his step by “concern for the environment, feeding the planet’s population, and interest in technologies that can change our lives.”

According to the scientist, if today his team’s goal is to produce small strands of muscle tissue, then in the future he plans to establish the cultivation of large pieces of meat for steaks and chops.

“I hope that my work will generate real interest from enthusiasts and financial support from government and commercial structures, which will allow us to improve the technology up to the launch of industrial production,” Post said.

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