02/07/2021
Protein revolution!!!
In modern society, do we really have nothing to worry about?
At the FBIF2020 Food and Beverage Innovation Forum Product Innovation, Alfa Laval Global Senior Process Engineer Bent Ludvigsen shared the following sets of data in the keynote speech "Protein Revolution":
In 2050, 30 years later, the world's population is expected to grow to 9.7 billion, which means that humans need to produce 260 million tons of protein per year to meet demand. But neither our existing resources nor most processing technologies can bridge this gap.
China's annual pork production is about 40 million tons, which is equivalent to 8.4 million tons of protein, but it needs 72 million tons of soybean feed and a larger amount of land and fresh water resources.
At present, 15% of the 525 million tons of agricultural protein produced by humans each year, that is, nearly 80 million tons, will be wasted in various forms and not effectively used.
Mr. Ludvigsen has 30 years of rich experience in the food processing industry and has professional protein purification knowledge. Alfa Laval has been committed to the development and manufacturing of more advanced production, processing equipment and technological processes for many years. From China's most traditional soy sauce vinegar brewing to the most fashionable OATLY oat milk, Alfa Laval's products are distributed in food processing industries in more than 100 countries. His warning is worthy of our attention.
In the face of such warnings, we suddenly discovered that in the past few thousand years, the most stable and efficient way for humans to obtain protein: animal agronomy, seems to be unable to meet the demand.
We need to find new sources of protein to make up for the expanding protein gap while minimizing the irreversible damage to the environment caused by this process. We desperately need a "great revolution" in protein.
Change: Under the protein revolution,
The word "Protein" in English comes from the Greek word "proteios", meaning "first" and "priority". As one of the basic substances of life, protein is closely related to everyone's survival.
Recalling our history, animal husbandry is almost the most stable and efficient way of obtaining protein for mankind. The meat, eggs, and milk it provides have helped mankind continue civilization for thousands of years. But in the new era, this way encountered some problems.
On the one hand, the world's population and people's requirements for quality of life are increasing exponentially, and the demand for protein as well is. Even if enough protein can be produced, the waste of resources and greenhouse gas emissions in this process is staggering. Today, animal husbandry occupies about 1/3 of the world's land and about 1/4 of fresh water, and releases about 15% of greenhouse gases.
In this "protein revolution", the animal husbandry that has accompanied us for thousands of years may unfortunately become not fancy anymore. You may have heard of this year's hot trend of artificial meat, and you may have heard of insects, seaweed and other ingredients that were not used as sources of protein, but are they now on the table? If you are more concerned about it you may also have heard of cutting-edge technologies such as molecular biology, which will bring unlimited possibilities to the protein world in the future. These new technologies and new trends are opening up new ways to obtain protein and "revolution" the life of the animal husbandry industry.
Perhaps the children who have lived decades later will open the history book and say to us in amazement: "Look, grandparents, grandparents, people in the past had to kill live animals to eat meat. This is too cruel
In short, protein is embarking on a "revolutionary road", animal husbandry will also usher in drastic changes.
Alternative: no pigs, cattle and sheep, where else can we get protein?
However, like every great revolution in history, when the old system is smashed, the new system will not come into being on its own. We can completely "revolution" the life of animal husbandry, liberate pigs, cattle and sheep, and watch them run freely on the prairie. But who will fill our stomachs? Where should we go to find new sources of protein to fill in the growing gap? Don't worry, mankind has its own way.
1. Insects: new friends of mankind?
Using insects as food is a bit disgusting at first, but insects are actually a very high-quality and efficient source of protein. According to data, the protein content of crickets is as high as 69%, compared with 29% for beef. At the same time, the consumption of resources by insects is also very low. If every 100 gallons (about 378.5 liters) of water is used in animal husbandry, only 6g beef protein or 18g chicken protein can be produced. But if used to breed crickets, 238g of insect protein can be produced. In the professional food circle, the concept of "insect-based" food is not too fresh. There have been a large number of application product interviews, and it has even become a regular food choice for a considerable number of people abroad. The insect market is expected to reach 1.53 billion US dollars. Start-up companies specializing in the production of insect-based food have also emerged.
In the FBIF2020 forum, Mr. Ludvigsen also introduced even more advantages of insects. For example, insects do not need to prepare special feed like pigs, cattle and sheep. Their food is protein waste produced in the food industry. At present, the entire food industry generates more than 1 billion tons of protein waste every year. These resources that could only be wasted in vain, can now be reused through insects, such magical creatures. Mr. Ludvigsen also introduced us a special insect material: Black Soldier Fly Larva (Black Soldier Fly Larva). Compared with chickens, the breeding of black water fly larvae reduces land consumption by 92%, fresh water consumption by 85%, and carbon dioxide emissions by 82%.
2. Algae: ancient species, raw materials for the new era
As one of the most primitive and ancient species on the earth, algae existed on the earth billions of years before the emergence of human beings. It has been silently nurturing itself by photosynthesis for billions of years, and it has hardly attracted human attention. In this era, the value of algae has been suddenly discovered, and it has become a "new raw material" with great potential. Algae is noticeable firstly because of its extremely high protein content. Studies have shown that the protein content of the dry weight of algae can usually reach 40%-60%. But in addition, the advantages of the algae production process are even greater: In theory, algae can grow in almost any environment, even in harsh environments, without occupying valuable arable land resources. From vast oceans, to freshwater lakes or ponds, even barren salt-alkali land, abandoned marshes, algae can grow in them; secondly, the production of algae is extremely high. Common crops can only be harvested for one to two seasons a year, and the growth cycle of common livestock such as pigs, cattle, and sheep can last for several months or even years. The algae can be harvested for one generation in only a few days; in the end, the algae themselves only need very little fresh water to grow, and the growth of seaweeds does not even require fresh water at all, but they can capture carbon dioxide in the air through photosynthesis. The entire production process is very clean and environmentally friendly. As a result, the algae market is gradually opening up. A forecast from Global Market Insights this year shows that the algae protein market will maintain a stable annual growth rate of 6% for the next six years. It is expected to exceed 1 billion US dollars by 2026.
3. Even...air?
Insects and seaweed, although rare, can at least be included in the category of "food" in people's impressions. The next new raw material is a bit strange, that is: air. In November last year, the Air Protein Company of the United States announced that they had developed an "air protein", a protein that was actually produced from the air. According to Lisa Dyson, CEO of Air Protein, they use special microorganisms called hydrogenotrophs to use carbon dioxide, oxygen and nitrogen in the air as raw materials to ferment them into edible protein. Lisa also said that this protein “has the same amino acid profile as animal protein. It is also rich in vitamins and minerals, including vitamin B12 that is lacking in vegan food.” In January of this year, Solar Foods, a Finnish food technology company, also announced the development of its own air protein "Solein". Solar Foods said that their method can produce protein anywhere with air and electricity, and the price is expected to compete with soy protein within ten years. Of course, these "air proteins" are still in the research and development stage, and no corresponding products are on the market, but this round of technological innovation will often become the technological basis for the next round. This new technology deserves our attention.
