Marine algae

Difference between seaweed and kelp

Image credit: Martin Dawson on Unsplash. Deep green seaweed.

Image credit: Frank Zhang on Unsplash. White rice balls wrapped in seaweed, and sesame seeds.

Image credit: James Lee on Unsplash. kelp with brown leaves.

The first time I tried seaweed, I had a flavor explosion in my mouth. The use of this algae is so versatile. You can find it in many recipes, and mostly utilized in Asian cuisine. It adds umami flavor—meaty or brothy— with different ingredients, such as, miso and tofu, or as simple as a seaweed salad with sesame seeds sprinkled on top. Personally, I like it as a snack. For example, gimMe product has several flavors, and I usually go with the extra virgin olive oil, or wasabi.

You might think what is kelp and seaweed? is there a difference? Let’s talk about this today. My main focus for this blog is how to differentiate each marine algae.

Texture comparison between meat, plant-based products, and cultivated meat

Texture and its importance

Image credit: Shutterstock by Antonina Vlasova

Plant-based, and cultivated meat versus meat texture

I recommend reading about flavor in my previous article, as it adds to what I will discuss today.

My main focus for this blog is comparing textures. Each product has a unique characteristic that can be measured with sensory instruments. The measurements provide hardness, elasticity, and cohesiveness results. In turn, the tests help find the maximum texture needed to provide customer satisfaction with plant-based products, and cultivated meat. Also, this helps differentiate meat from other alternatives.

Some examples of plant-based products include soy ingredients, such as tempeh, tofu, and vegetable meat analogs—like soy proteins, mycoprotein and soy leghemoglobin. As we all know, these are protein substitutes to replace traditional meats in vegan and vegetarian diets. Other ingredients are added to provide similar texture as meat. They include soy protein texturizers—soy protein isolate—and agar gels, derived from algae.

Cultivated meat, on the other hand, is a new area in the food manufacturing industry that needs further research. Let’s start by looking at traditional meat to see how it compares to other alternative proteins.

Mycoproteins / fungal protein

The sustainable fungus / mycoprotein benefits, superfood, and future of food products  

Image credit: Freepik by mrsiraphol

Mushroom

Versus…

Image credit: Freepik by irrmago, Mycoprotein

Mycoproteins and fungal—the new superfood

Over the past few years, there is new mycoprotein research coming out. For example, the article talks about how it’s a protein sustainable food source discovered in the 1960s. There are several fungal protein benefits to this new superfood. First, there might be an association with lower total cholesterol, among people with hyperlipidemia. Second, there is not enough evidence on effects of mycoprotein role on blood glucose and insulin level. Lastly, fungal protein nutrition provides the essential amino acids and fiber, especially mycoproteins—more on the difference between fungus and mycoprotein—in a later section of this blog. There is evidence that the mycoprotein provides muscle protein synthesis, and therefore I would think it would be a good source for athletes, vegetarians, vegans, and other plant-based diets.