What will we eat in the future?
What do you eat for dinner tonight? What will you eat in twenty or thirty years? The meaning of this question varies by time scale. If in the first case it is about taste preferences and diet planning, then it moves to the technical and philosophical levels.
artificial meat
According to experts, after some time, human beings will face three global problems related to food: hunger, ecology and health. According to United Nations , the world's population will grow to 9.6 billion by 2050. Then, if we don’t change our eating habits, there may not be enough food for everyone to eat.
It takes 15,000 liters of water to produce 1 kg of beef. About a quarter of the land has been used to grazing livestock, and the increase in human population will lead to more unpredictable problems.
Today's world meat consumption is 300 million tons. And within 20 to 30 years, according to various estimates, meat demand will reach 60 billion to 800 million tons. Livestock industry accounts for 15% of atmospheric greenhouse gas emissions. According to forecasts, this share will reach 49% by 2030.
70% of the antibiotics produced by the pharmaceutical industry will be used in animal husbandry. This helps dangerous bacteria to develop resistance to the same antibiotics. In other words, the love for steak is leading us to an ecological disaster. We have not touched on the consideration of religious and ethical nature.
About 10 years ago, several companies around the world began to launch products to the market that claimed to be a complete replacement for meat. Today you can find burgers, sausages, chicken nuggets, steaks, and minced meat. They are very similar to meat, but are made from plant protein .
This product is so high-tech, almost no difference from real meat. We know it is not meat, but it smells like meat, tastes like meat, looks like meat. The texture is also close to meat, which is a high energy and valuable product.
Producing this burger can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 90% and reduce energy consumption by 46% and can be used to create 99% of water. What techniques can be used to obtain alternative proteins in
? There are basically four. First, insect protein. In many countries in the world, they eat it, but in our country they don't. And, most likely, it is unlikely that there will be a demand in our culture. But, despite this, as a feed protein, it still has its place. The second protein is vegetables. The third protein is "cell meat", that is, muscle fibers grown "in vitro". The fourth protein is recombinant and obtained in biotechnology, using high-precision fermentation, says Sergei Ivanov, executive director of EFKO Group.
Meat dishes are mentioned on the menus of several restaurants in Moscow.
Insect Protein
An environmentally friendly, healthy and nutritious source of alternative protein is insects. Modern insect protein has nothing to do with the traditional culture of eating beetle and larvae.
70% of the world's people eat insects, and scientists believe that other parts of the world will go to this point in the future. Especially if the manufacturer produces attractive products: bars, breads, burgers.
is different from proteins from other insects such as cricket , proteins made from buffalo beetles have little specific flavor.
- It is from this bedbug that the maximum amount of protein is obtained - 60-70% of dry matter . In addition, there are a lot of vitamins, as well as calcium - ten times more than milk. The most important thing is that beetles won't tolerate any disease, Sergei Smirnov said.
There are 8 billion larvae growing at the same time in a Russian farm. 15% of them are used for reproduction, while the rest awaits glorious destiny: They dry and turn into protein - ground into flour.
The larvae grows rapidly: the life cycle of the larvae is 28 days. This production requires little water—the larvae feed on grains. 2 kg of protein can be obtained per kilogram of feed.
"We provide whole wheat flour , textured burger patty protein and ready-to-eat ground beef.We also made a water-soluble protein that can be mixed into cocktails," said Sergei Smirnov.
In general, insect protein is almost called the most promising food in the future. Its production does not require deforestation (unlike soybeans). And it has the smallest carbon footprint. But will they eat it?
There is a view that insect protein will not be in demand in Russia due to the conservative dietary habits of the Russian people. At the same time, the consumption of insect protein in our country is also gradually increasing. And it will reach 10 tons per year in the foreseeable future.
Food from printers
The aerospace industry has long been committed to improving technology, including in the field of food production. Overall, a lot of familiar things were initially developed for astronauts. Once upon a time, sublimated products came to us.
For possible deep space flights, it was already testing special 3D printers that could print food—you just need to add water.
- This is called magnetic encapsulation, which is very convenient to use in space. We will breed a product from muscle cells that can be considered as space meat.
2019 In 2018, astronauts on International Space Station were able to print and use it.
said.
assumes that such devices will appear in our homes for the foreseeable future. They can charge them with capsules—a bit like coffee machines. When the owner comes home, the food printer prints a fully cooked steak for him.
that is, in the future we will most likely not have to cook. If we root What should I do if I don't need to eat? At least since the end of the 19th century, people have been thinking about a magical pill replacement for food.
pill replacement for food
Some pills can temporarily eliminate hunger. There are pills containing certain nutrients. But a complete breakfast, lunch and dinner diet has not been created yet. One person needs about every day 2,000 calories. Packing such a large amount of energy compactly is very problematic.
Meanwhile, food is connected to the deepest part of the human mind. Socialization into the food area: Communication takes place at the dining room, and diet is part of the cultural traditions of different ethnic groups.
This is why it is difficult for us to change our eating habits or force ourselves to eat something that doesn’t fit our culture. This is why many people tend to seize the pressure. Of course, this is why it’s hard for us to give up food-related rituals. It’s great to eat with friends!
So until a panacea that comes up, we don’t have time to think about how to replace dinner communication, whether it’s worth giving up traditional food.
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