Report | New protein sources revolutionising the food of the future

The population is growing constantly, but the planet’s resources are finite. One of the biggest concerns heard in social and political debates is our ability to sustainably produce quality food for everyone, taking into account that, by 2050, there will be 10 billion people to be fed on earth. 

How can we feed the global population without destroying the planet? What are the most sustainable options that are also nutritionally sound? It’s time to find them and take them to market. Some are already on people’s radar and whetting investors’ appetites. 

We spoke with four of our members working on new protein sources, from microalgae and seeds to fungi, worms and by-products of the agrifood industry. 

Microalgae: a unique raw material that is productive and inexhaustible.

Raschid Stoffel, head of Food and Beverage at AlgaEnergy, a company that has been working in this field for nearly 15 years, explained that microalgae have very special characteristics and “we owe our lives to them”. The way he talks about them, they seem magical. They are inexhaustible and highly productive, grow in any sort of water, don’t compete with the production of other raw materials, and are extraordinarily biodiverse. “This means microalgae have great potential,” he insists. According to the expert, these organisms contain all the essential amino acids our bodies can’t synthesise, plus highly interesting bioactive peptides. “There are strains that are very rich in healthy fats, like omega-3 fatty acids. Plus, they have loads of antioxidant pigments, vitamins, minerals,” Stoffel lists. In fact, there are already products on sale around the world with this new source of nutrition, from nutraceuticals to pasta, cereal bars, baked goods and beverages.

If they’re so full of benefits, why aren’t they consumed more? The main barrier, the expert notes, is regulatory issues: “In Europe, only a small set of microalgae species can be commercialised and approval for new biomasses or their compounds is a long, expensive process.”

For Stoffel, the industry has a great responsibility and many of the products on offer in supermarkets should be reformulated to include more natural ingredients. “Solutions like the ones from microalgae can help give us a complete, balanced diet. It’s important to act now, as the key to many diseases of the 21st century lies in what we eat throughout our lives.”

By-products of the food industry: sustainable, low-cost raw materials

MOA foodtech is a company that combines biotechnology and artificial intelligence to turn by-products from the agrifood industry into high value-added products that can be channelled back into the market. “The opportunities these raw materials offer are huge,” begins the company’s CEO and founder Bosco Emparanza. “Arable agriculture is estimated to produce roughly 8 billion tonnes of carbohydrate waste each year.” The idea is to find a way to ferment those carbohydrates and produce proteins. 

“Society and the planet need more nutritional, sustainable foods. Biotechnology is the key,” says Emparanza. These low-cost raw materials allow for the design and development of sustainable culture mediums and with these microorganisms, through the fermentation process, it is possible to convert the substrate into protein much more efficiently than an animal. “Our product, apart from having a high protein content, has a full profile of essential amino acids, immune-boosting β-glucans and omegas, and is more digestible than most vegetable alternatives.”

However, once again, regulatory issues curb this clear growth in the alternative-protein sector. While Emparanza watches the world advance towards the food of the future that takes advantage of these new protein sources, Europe “is a bit slower”. Nevertheless, he feels positive because people want better quality of life and, therefore, are changing their habits, including how they eat. “We’re discovering how this can also have a positive impact on the environment,” he concludes. 

Worms: a healthy, nutritional source

Society is becoming more and more aware that insects will have to be part of the food of the future. Tebrio knows it and is working to bring to the agrifood value chain a new food source, Tenebrio molitor (or the mealworm), whether for humans (already approved by the European Union) or animals. “This raw material has direct benefits on the health and nutrition of those who eat it,” explains Adriana Casillas, CEO and founder of the biotech firm. Casillas’ team has proven that some peptides can help reduce insulin dependence in type-1 diabetics, while, in animals, they’ve seen that they improve the immune and gastric systems. “The latter means end-consumers get safer, healthier food.”

As Casillas explained, this isn’t just an idea now, it’s real. “We’re already on the market.” To get to humans, the key lies in the nutrition of animals, which we later consume, helping make agrifood production more sustainable. And it doesn’t have to replace existing sources; it’s more a complement to them and helps boost quality. 

Mentalising the population about eating insects won’t be an easy task. “We have a lot of educating to do,” the expert recognises. But the consumption can be indirect. “Who would say no to a fish that has eaten insects? Who can say they’ve never seen a bird eat insects? Is there anyone who doesn’t know that insects are a natural food source for many animal species [that we eat]?” 

Fungi: not just protein, vitamins and fibre, too

The Ainia technology centre has been working for several years to innovate in adapting the nutritional characteristics of the products and making alternative protein production processes financially and technologically feasible. The centre believes that all the trends point to new protein sources being launched to complement our current food sources “in the near future”. 

Other proteins that Ainia highlights are fungi (which includes moulds and yeasts), which have great potential given their high protein content (between 30% and 50%) and amino-acid profile that meets FAO directives (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations). “Plus, fungi have vitamins from the B complex group and their cell walls are rich in glucans, which add fibre to our diet,” explain sources inside the centre. 

In short, all the discourses are pointing in the same direction and highlighting that the current challenges are ensuring the sustainability of production processes and improving the nutritional profiles of new alternatives to attract consumers and break down regulatory and cultural barriers that “slow the arrival of these products to market”, which as we’ve seen, benefit the health of both humans and the planet.

Photo1: Microalgae by AlgaEnergy

Photo 2: MOA foodtech team

Photo 3: Tebrio worms