Food science & future role in feeding the world – Part III – current and future technologies

Image credit: Digital Trends

I’m starting this blog with the 3D food printer picture above. An artistic way of creating food and exciting how it will shape the food industry. As you can guess, I’m going to continue my discussion in my blog with the future technologies in food processing. Digital Trends mentions the following, “They think 3D food printers could improve the nutritional value of meals, produce intricate sculptures out of everyday foodstuff, and solve hunger in regions of the world that lack access to fresh, affordable ingredients. There’s no doubt about it — 3D food printing has come a long way. But like any new technology with lofty promises, it’s far from a silver bullet.” Check out the video on Digital trend, https://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/3d-food-printers-how-they-could-change-what-you-eat/ I found the machine an innovative invention that will change the future of food.

Food science and future role in feeding the world – Part II – protein

The future of food is at a tipping point; dramatic increase in the world population, food shortage, food waste, and other issues, such as, providing the right nutrients for the world. As you’ve read in my previous blog, food science and the scientific community will solve these issues with innovative methods. That said, I’m going to focus this part of the blog on new protein sources:

1- Insect protein: This new protein source just started a few years ago. Insects and insect powder are now sold in stores and some restaurants are serving them on their menu. Insects have been popular in Africa for a long time. On the other hand, Europe and other countries are not accustomed to it because of the mindset; you can say the culture dictates how you approach food. Some countries accept insects while others don’t. We’ll see how things progress in the next 5 years with this new source of protein. As you can see below, insects are loaded with protein more than meat, high in Iron and calcium, other vitamins and amino acids. Plus, insect farming is sustainable and environmentally friendly as it requires less water and resources to produce it.

Food science and future role in feeding the world I

Image credit: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

The world is facing increasing food insecurities and production shortage issues, and food science will be called to address many of the challenges that we will face in the future, as frontiers in nutrition mentions, “The United Nations projected that by 2050 the world population would reach 9.6 billion. The 60+ adult population will constitute 19% (2 billion) and 27% (3 billion) of world population by 2050 and 2100, respectively.” The next 30 years there will be more advancement in food science such as reducing food waste, nanostructure in food and a change in food laws as we are facing more food safety issues in the food supply. IFT continues by saying, “During the 2009 World Summit on Food Security, it was recognized that by 2050 food production must increase by about
70%—34% higher than it is today—to feed the anticipated 9 billion people (FAO 2009a).”

Biodegradable products in food

Image credit: pinterest

Sciencelearn defines biodegradable products as follows, “The ‘degradable’ part of the word simply means that the product is able to break down into smaller compounds and eventually into very simple compounds such as carbon dioxide, water and oxygen. The ‘bio’ part of the word means that the process is helped along with biological organisms, such as fungi and bacteria, which digest the material. So a ‘biodegradable’ object is one that will break down quickly and safely into harmless compounds by using the action of microorganisms. “