We are already seeing a shift from animal-based to plant-based protein. The next evolution from land-based to air-based protein will allow us to [feed] a growing population without needing to remove rainforests or natural habitats. Air Protein CEO Dr. Lisa Dyson
The challenges plaguing our current global food system are staggering. The double burden of both widespreadhunger and obesity sees one in threepeoplecurrently suffering from some form of malnutrition. Some 795 million people facehunger on a daily basis, while more than two billion people lack vitalmicronutrients in their diet, such as iron, zinc and vitamin A.
Disease, health problems and early deaths are estimated to cost world economiesroughly $2trillion,with undernutrition negatively impacting GDP by 11 percent every year.
Climate change and land usechangesare exacerbating the problem, with higher carbon dioxide levels reducing thenutritional make-up of grains and legumes, affecting key nutrients such as zincand iron.
Meanwhile, food production uses 70 percent of all fresh water and contributesaround a third of all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It ispredictedthat by 2050, we will need 120 percent more water and 42 percent more croplandif were to continue feeding the planet in the same way. We will also lose 14percent more forest and produce 77 percent more GHGs.
And as our population soars over the next 35 years, we need to produce more foodthan has ever been produced since life on Earth began (and not waste 40 percentofitalong the way) with limited new land available for agriculture.
Clearly, business-as-usual is not an option; innovation in the food industry iscrucial if we are to feed 10 billion people by the middle of the century.
In fact, we are in need of radical food innovation, saysKiverdi the carbon-transformation specialists behind AirProtein, which is pioneering a new era ofsustainable food production.
Back in the 1960s, scientists atNASAspent lots of time trying to work out ways to produce food for year-longmissions in deep space. They knew astronauts had limited space and resources, sofound ways to transform carbon into nutrients.
But, as Air Protein CEO Dr. Lisa Dyson recently told Sustainable Brands, Theirideas were never completed; they just sat on the shelf for decades.
Fast-forward a few decades and Dyson and her team have built acarbon-transformation technology based on NASAs ideas that is now set to takethe world by storm making delicious, nutritious foods from elements of the airwe breathe.
With this process, we will sustainably produce protein in a way that requiresorders of magnitude less land versus alternative forms of food production. Andit will enable us to serve the mission of feeding 10 billion people by 2050without the need to remove more rainforests in search of arable land.
How does the technology work? Well, the company takes elements found in the air such as CO2, oxygen and nitrogen as well as some renewable power, and uses a(proprietary) natural probiotic production process that converts the elementsinto nutrients.
The result is Air Protein a neutral ingredient in both color and taste, butwith the same amino acid profile as animal protein. This can then be used tomake a host of different foods from burgers and cereals to meat-free meat andeven cookies. It can also be paired with spices and seasonings to make snacksand meals.
Protein is a part of meals that we each have multiple times a day. Because weare making a neutral flour, Air Protein can be a part of countless recipes toadd protein to any dish or to replace other protein sources, says Dyson, aformer Boston Consulting Group employee who describes herself as amission-driven entrepreneur.
And crucially, its rich in all of the essential amino acids needed for ahealthy diet as well as vitamins such as B12, which is traditionally lackingfrom a vegandiet.
There are plenty of environmental benefits, too. First, the production of AirProtein is completely natural, free of any pesticides or herbicides. It requires10,000 times less land and 2,000 times less water than soy protein production.It can be made in just a few hours, unlike traditional crops; and doesnt relyon rain or sunshine. The company is keen to point out that, although more andmore people are eating flexitariandietsto reduce their meat consumption, meatless meat is traditionally made using soyor pea proteins, which are still land- and water-intensive to produce.
Were pioneering a new category: air-based food production, Dyson added. Whilethe business is currently focused on using its technology to create much moresustainable protein, Dyson says it is in discussions with a number of interestedpartners to scale efforts.
We want to usher in a new era of sustainability. We are already seeing a shiftfrom animal-based protein to plant-based protein for both environmental andhealth reasons. Air Protein is the next evolution: from land-based protein toair-based protein. [This] will allow us to meet the demands of a growingpopulation without needing to remove rainforests or natural habitats.
Published Oct 17, 2019 8am EDT / 5am PDT / 1pm BST / 2pm CEST
Read more from the original source:
Could Air-Based Foods Be the Alternative Diet Trend That Saves the Planet? - Sustainable Brands
