Cultured & Alternative Foods News and Discussions

[raklian]

caltrek's comments: As more and more such studies come to this sort of conclusion, demand for protein rich rice and protein rich cultivated meat may evaporate. Hence, why continue to invest in their development?

There is always going to be demand for protein sources as they're an essential macronutrient...

Yes, but the point is that demand can and perhaps should be met by reliance on existing plant-based sources. Beans tend to be particularly high in protein, but other foods such as mushrooms, eggplant, avocados, etc. also contain protein.

The problem is we can't realistically dictate how people should pick their protein sources. I've had a fair share of people telling me off they will never give up on red meat no matter what. The cultured meat industry is counting on this.

[caltrek]

There is always going to be demand for protein sources as they're an essential macronutrient...

Yes, but the point is that demand can and perhaps should be met by reliance on existing plant-based sources. Beans tend to be particularly high in protein, but other foods such as mushrooms, eggplant, avocados, etc. also contain protein.

The problem is we can't realistically dictate how people should pick their protein sources. I've had a fair share of people telling me off they will never give up on red meat no matter what. The cultured meat industry is counting on this.

Framed in those terms, I think you make a very good point. I have even heard from doctors telling me that they don't intend to give up on red meat even as they agree, or make the point, that a plant-based diet is actually healthier. I suppose I should have made that observation earlier.

[Vakanai]

Yes, but the point is that demand can and perhaps should be met by reliance on existing plant-based sources. Beans tend to be particularly high in protein, but other foods such as mushrooms, eggplant, avocados, etc. also contain protein.

The problem is we can't realistically dictate how people should pick their protein sources. I've had a fair share of people telling me off they will never give up on red meat no matter what. The cultured meat industry is counting on this.

Framed in those terms, I think you make a very good point. I have even heard from doctors telling me that they don't intend to give up on red meat even as they agree, or make the point, that a plant-based diet is actually healthier. I suppose I should have made that observation earlier.

As someone who hates beans, prefers meat over vegetables, and especially loves beef above all, and know more people like me than not, I can definitely attest that hoping people will switch to more plant based proteins or diets isn't the smart bet.

[caltrek]

Researchers Find Common Plant Could Help Reduce Food Insecurity
February 23 , 2024

Introduction:

(Eurekalert) UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — An often-overlooked water plant that can double its biomass in two days, capture nitrogen from the air — making it a valuable green fertilizer — and be fed to poultry and livestock could serve as life-saving food for humans in the event of a catastrophe or disaster, a new study led by Penn State researchers suggests.

Native to the eastern U.S., the plant, azolla caroliniana Willd — commonly known as Carolina azolla — also could ease food insecurity in the near future, according to findings recently published in Food Science & Nutrition. The researchers found that the Carolina strain of azolla is more digestible and nutritious for humans than azolla varieties that grow in the wild and also are cultivated in Asia and Africa for livestock feed.

The study, which was led by Daniel Winstead, a research assistant in the labs of Michael Jacobson, professor of ecosystem science and management, and Francesco Di Gioia, assistant professor of vegetable crop science, is part of a larger interdisciplinary research project called Food Resilience in the Face of Catastrophic Global Events conducted in the College of Agricultural Sciences.

“Other species of azolla have been used across the world for several thousand years as a livestock feed and as ‘green manure’ to fertilize crops because of the plant’s ability to fix nitrogen,” Jacobson said. “The use of azolla for human consumption was thought to be limited by its high total polyphenolic content, which interferes with its digestibility. But this research demonstrates that the phenolic content of the Carolina strain is much lower, and cooking the plant diminishes it further.”

Polyphenols, which are naturally abundant compounds found in plants, at lower concentrations are beneficial to human health because of their antioxidant activity, however, high concentrations of polyphenols can limit nutrient absorption in the body and act as antinutritional factors, Jacobson explained. Gallic acid is a stable phenol and has become a standard measurement to determine phenol content in food.

Read more of the Eurekalert article here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1035458

For results of the study as presented in Food Science & Nutrition: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/fsn3.3904

[caltrek]

So, you like the taste of meat and don't like beans etc. This might be a good answer for you:

Scientists Use Blue-green Algae as a Surrogate Mother for "Meat-like" Proteins
February 27, 2024

Introduction:

(Eurekalert) We all know that we ought to eat less meat and cheese and dig into more plant-based foods. But whilst perusing the supermarket cold display and having to choose between animal-based foods and more climate-friendly alternative proteins, our voices of reason don’t always win. And even though flavour has been mastered in many plant-based products, textures with the 'right' mouthfeel have often been lacking.

Furthermore, some plant-based protein alternatives are not as sustainable anyway, due to the resources consumed by their processing.
But what if it was possible to make sustainable, protein-rich foods that also have the right texture? New research from the University of Copenhagen is fueling that vision. The key? Blue-green algae. Not the infamous type known for being a poisonous broth in the sea come summertime, but non-toxic ones.

"Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, are living organisms that we have been able to get to produce a protein that they don’t naturally produce. The particularly exciting thing here is that the protein is formed in fibrous strands which somewhat resemble meat fibers. And, it might be possible to use these fibres in plant-based meat, cheese or some other new type of food for which we are after a particular texture," says Professor Poul Erik Jensen of the Department of Food Science.

In a new study, Jensen and fellow researchers from the University of Copenhagen, among other institutions, have shown that cyanobacteria can serve as host organisms for the new protein by inserting foreign genes into a cyanobacterium. Within the cyanobacterium, the protein organizes itself as tiny threads or nanofibers.

Read more here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1035770

[caltrek]

Farmed Python Meat Could Be the Earth-Friendly Food of the Future
by Tom Hale
March 15, 2024

Introduction:

(IFL Science) As the world tries to wean itself off emission-belching agriculture, giant pythons could prove to be a more sustainable, slithering alternative to beef, pork, and chicken.

In a new study, a team of scientists argues that pythons could provide a “flexible and efficient” alternative to other conventional farmed livestock, since they are surprisingly sustainable while offering meat that’s high in protein, but low in saturated fats.

As for the taste, python meat is said to taste a lot like chicken – that’s what they always say, huh?

The researchers found that pythons are surprisingly well-suited to the demands of commercial farming. These giant beasts grow rapidly, reaching maturity within three years, plus they are highly fertile, capable of producing 100 eggs every year for two decades.

Python farming is a well-established practice in parts of Asia where species like reticulated pythons (Malayopython reticulatus) and Burmese pythons (Python bivittatus) are routinely harvested for their meat.

Read more of the IFL Science article here: https://www.iflscience.com/farmed-pyth ... re-73414

For a presentation of study results as published in Scientific Reports : https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-54874-4

[weatheriscool]

Florida Is on Its Way to Banning -- and Criminalizing -- Alternative Meat

"We're not going to have fake meat. Like that doesn't work," Gov. Ron DeSantis said.

By Stacey Leasca Updated on March 15, 2024

Gov. Ron DeSantis wants to keep lab-grown meat out of Florida.

Over the last several months, Florida legislators have been quietly working to ban — and criminalize — the production and sale of cell-cultivated meat across the state, via the introduction of two bills, HB 1071 and SB 1084. On February 6, the state's House of Representatives passed SB 1084, which now sits on DeSantis' desk awaiting a signature. And if his previous comments are any indication, he will be pulling out his pen soon.

"I know the Legislature is doing a bill to try to protect our meat," DeSantis said in February while visiting the South Florida State College Hardee Campus, according to CBS. "You need meat, OK. And we're going to have meat in Florida." DeSantis added, "We're not going to have fake meat. Like that doesn't work."

Cell-cultivated meat, to be clear, differs from traditional veggie burgers and meat alternatives like Impossible Burgers. As the Congressional Research Service (CRS) defines,

What Longtime Vegetarians Think About the Plant-Based Meat Boom
Cell-cultivated meat "is developed in a lab, grown from a sample of animal cells that does not require the slaughter of animals." In other words, it's actually meat. The development of cell-cultivated meat, the CRS explained, happens in five steps: the biopsy of animal cells, cell banking, cell growth, harvesting, and food processing. It's an industry that has heavy oversight in the U.S. by both the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

More:
https://www.foodandwine.com/florida-lab ... on-8609560

[wjfox]

Republicans are on a quest to ban lab-grown meat

Apr 1, 2024, 8:27pm

Republican-led U.S. states are looking to ban lab-grown chicken, pork and other proteins cultivated from animal cells, branding it part of a woke agenda that threatens traditional farming.

Lawmakers in states including Alabama, Arizona, Florida and Tennessee have moved to target cell-cultivated meat products — even though they are still barely on the market in the United States.

Cultivated chicken last year became the first such product to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration, with a multiyear review concluding that lab-grown meat made by two companies was safe for sale, but it is still only available at a handful of restaurants.

Those that attempt to sell lab-grown meat in Alabama or Arizona could soon face jail time or hefty fines as Republicans attempt to block what some have called a “war on our ranching.” More than a dozen states have regulated the use of the word “meat” on the products.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has said that lab-grown meat is part of a “whole ideological agenda,” that blames agriculture workers for global warming, saying: “We’re not going to do that fake meat. That doesn’t work.”

https://www.semafor.com/article/04/01/2 ... grown-meat

[Time_Traveller]

Most plant-based meat and dairy alternatives have lower saturated fat and higher fibre, study finds

Thursday 25 April 2024 02:48, UK



Most plant-based meat and dairy alternatives have lower levels of saturated fat and higher fibre than their animal-derived counterparts, researchers have found.

They also have substantially lower environmental impacts, including lower greenhouse gas emissions, use of water resources and land use, according to a review of evidence on plant-based alternatives to meat, cheese, eggs and yoghurt.

Researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) who analysed over 90 studies and reports from 2016 to 2022 suggested plant-based alternatives could be a "useful steppingstone" towards a healthy and sustainable diet, though they warned nutritional value can vary considerably between products.

Plant-based alternatives "have the potential to be healthier and nutrient-rich," they said, but added that their nutritional contents are complex.

The primary ingredient, as well as processing techniques and brand, were all vital in determining a product's nutritional value and environmental impact.

https://news.sky.com/story/most-plant-b ... s-13122103