scholarly journals COVID-19 Pandemic Is a Call to Search for Alternative Protein Sources as Food and Feed: A Review of Possibilities

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 150
Author(s):  
Piotr Rzymski ◽  
Magdalena Kulus ◽  
Maurycy Jankowski ◽  
Claudia Dompe ◽  
Rut Bryl ◽  
...  

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is a global health challenge with substantial adverse effects on the world economy. It is beyond any doubt that it is, again, a call-to-action to minimize the risk of future zoonoses caused by emerging human pathogens. The primary response to contain zoonotic diseases is to call for more strict regulations on wildlife trade and hunting. This is because the origins of coronaviruses such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), SARS-CoV, Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), as well as other viral pathogens (e.g., Ebola, HIV) are traceable to wild animals. Although COVID-19 is not related to livestock animals, the pandemic increased general attention given to zoonotic viral infections—the risk of which can also be associated with livestock. Therefore, this paper discusses the potential transformation of industrial livestock farming and the production of animal products, particularly meat, to decrease the risks for transmission of novel human pathogens. Plant-based diets have a number of advantages, but it is unrealistic to consider them as the only solution offered to the problem. Therefore, a search for alternative protein sources in insect-based foods and cultured meat, important technologies enabling safer meat production. Although both of these strategies offer a number of potential advantages, they are also subject to the number of challenges that are discussed in this paper. Importantly, insect-based foods and cultured meat can provide additional benefits in the context of ecological footprint, an aspect important in light of predicted climate changes. Furthermore, cultured meat can be regarded as ethically superior and supports better food security. There is a need to further support the implementation and expansion of all three approaches discussed in this paper, plant-based diets, insect-based foods, and cultured meat, to decrease the epidemiological risks and ensure a sustainable future. Furthermore, cultured meat also offers a number of additional benefits in the context of environmental impact, ethical issues, and food security.

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (10) ◽  
pp. 1533-1543 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyun Jung Lee ◽  
Hae In Yong ◽  
Minsu Kim ◽  
Yun-Sang Choi ◽  
Cheorun Jo

Plant-based meat analogues, edible insects, and cultured meat are promising major meat alternatives that can be used as protein sources in the future. It is also believed that the importance of meat alternatives will continue to increase because of concerns on limited sustainability of the traditional meat production system. The meat alternatives are expected to have different roles based on their different benefits and limitations. Plant-based meat analogues and edible insects can replace traditional meat as a good protein source from the perspective of nutritional value. Furthermore, plant-based meat can be made available to a wide range of consumers (e.g., as vegetarian or halal food products). However, despite ongoing technical developments, their palatability, including appearance, flavor, and texture, is still different from the consumers’ standard established from livestock-based traditional meat. Meanwhile, cultured meat is the only method to produce actual animal muscle-based meat; therefore, the final product is more meat-like compared to other meat analogues. However, technical difficulties, especially in mass production and cost, remain before it can be commercialized. Nevertheless, these meat alternatives can be a part of our future protein sources while maintaining a complementary relationship with traditional meat.


2016 ◽  
Vol 75 (3) ◽  
pp. 294-305 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arnold van Huis

The global increase in demand for meat and the limited land area available prompt the search for alternative protein sources. Also the sustainability of meat production has been questioned. Edible insects as an alternative protein source for human food and animal feed are interesting in terms of low greenhouse gas emissions, high feed conversion efficiency, low land use, and their ability to transform low value organic side streams into high value protein products. More than 2000 insect species are eaten mainly in tropical regions. The role of edible insects in the livelihoods and nutrition of people in tropical countries is discussed, but this food source is threatened. In the Western world, there is an increasing interest in edible insects, and examples are given. Insects as feed, in particular as aquafeed, have a large potential. Edible insects have about the same protein content as conventional meat and more PUFA. They may also have some beneficial health effects. Edible insects need to be processed and turned into palatable dishes. Food safety may be affected by toxicity of insects, contamination with pathogens, spoilage during conservation and allergies. Consumer attitude is a major issue in the Western world and a number of strategies are proposed to encourage insect consumption. We discuss research pathways to make insects a viable sector in food and agriculture: an appropriate disciplinary focus, quantifying its importance, comparing its nutritional value to conventional protein sources, environmental benefits, safeguarding food safety, optimising farming, consumer acceptance and gastronomy.


Author(s):  
Martin Keulertz

The alternative protein industry has attracted much media attention. It has become increasingly clear that current meat production systems are unsustainable except in grass-fed low-volume production systems. The new alternative meat industry seeks to introduce new technologies that produce ‘meat’ sustainably. By using IT-terms such as 1.0 to 4.0, this analysis classifies traditional herding and grazing systems as 1.0, feedlot production as meat 2.0, plant-based meat alternatives as meat 3.0, and cultured meat alternatives as meat 4.0. An overview of current developments in the meat 3.0 and 4.0 industries highlights the recent technological advances. The environmental and health benefits of meat 3.0 and 4.0 are discussed and the cultural and business implications. Finally, the consequences of meat 4.0 for a sustainable planet and its social foundations are revealed, identifying the billion livelihoods that depend on meat 1.0 and 2.0 production. The alternative protein industry could have disruptive effects as well as benefits to the planet and society.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (16) ◽  
pp. 8376
Author(s):  
Stig Skrivergaard ◽  
Martin Krøyer Rasmussen ◽  
Margrethe Therkildsen ◽  
Jette Feveile Young

Cultured meat is an emerging alternative food technology which aims to deliver a more ethical, sustainable, and healthy muscle-tissue-derived food item compared to conventional meat. As start-up companies are rapidly forming and accelerating this technology, many aspects of this multi-faceted science have still not been investigated in academia. In this study, we investigated if bovine satellite cells with the ability to proliferate and undergo myogenic differentiation could be isolated after extended tissue storage, for the purpose of increasing the practicality for cultured meat production. Proliferation of bovine satellite cells isolated on the day of arrival or after 2 and 5 days of tissue storage were analyzed by metabolic and DNA-based assays, while their myogenic characteristics were investigated using RT-qPCR and immunofluorescence. Extended tissue storage up to 5 days did not negatively affect proliferation nor the ability to undergo fusion and create myosin heavy chain-positive myotubes. The expression patterns of myogenic and muscle-specific genes were also not affected after tissue storage. In fact, the data indicated a positive trend in terms of myogenic potential after tissue storage, although it was non-significant. These results suggest that the timeframe of which viable myogenic satellite cells can be isolated and used for cultured meat production can be greatly extended by proper tissue storage.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 8235
Author(s):  
Alfredo J. Escribano ◽  
Maria Belen Peña ◽  
Carlos Díaz-Caro ◽  
Ahmed Elghannam ◽  
Eva Crespo-Cebada ◽  
...  

Meat production and consumption have been claimed to have negative impacts on the environment, and even on the consumer’s health. In this sense, alternative sources of protein, mainly meat substitutes and cultured meat, have emerged due to those perceived negative effects. Our paper carries out a choice experiment to analyze the preferences of 444 Spanish consumers and their willingness to pay for plant-based and cultured meats, as compared to conventional meat. Spain was considered of interest for this study due to its significant gastronomic culture, with high-quality meat products that make a great contribution to the economy, meaning that this could be a suitable and also challenging market in which to test alternative sources of protein. The findings show that consumers’ motivations and their interactions with these products are complex. Additionally, a cluster analysis allowed us to identify three types of consumers in terms of preference for these products: price-sensitive millennials, conscious/concerned consumers, and indifferent consumers. Only one group showed some level of acceptance of these alternative products meats.


1993 ◽  
Vol 59 (9) ◽  
pp. 1573-1579 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takeshi Watanabe ◽  
Juadee Pongmaneerat ◽  
Shuichi Sato ◽  
Toshio Takeuchi

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (7) ◽  
pp. 51-57
Author(s):  
S. Yu. Zaytsev ◽  
◽  
N. V. Bogolyubova ◽  

Pig breeding is one of the key areas for the development of livestock meat production both in Russia and in the world. According to forecasts of various agro-industrial companies and information and analytical agencies, by the end of 2020, pork production was predicted to grow similar to that in 2019, which was 5,1% (or more than 192,6 thousand tons, in slaughter weight, compared to 2018). This would represent more than a third of the total meat production in Russia, which was estimated at 11,04–11,22 million tons (as compared to 10,9 million tons in 2019). According to preliminary data from the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation (dated February 4, 2021), pork production increased "at 8.9% by 2019, which in live weight is +446 thousand tons", while the total meat production in Russia in 2020 reached 15,6 million tons, an increase of 3,1% (+472 thousand tons) more than in 2019. These indicators significantly exceed the forecasts indicated above, which is associated with the implementation of investment projects (primarily with state participation) in this direction and "expansion of export opportunities for Russian suppliers" in 2020. Despite the sanctions, coronavirus and other global challenges to the Russian economy, pork has been the "main driver" for the growth of meat production in Russia in recent years. Now our country is on the 4th line in the ranking according to the pig numbers (46.5 million heads in 2019) after China, the European Union and the United States of America. Agricultural enterprises in Russia account for 83,4% of pigs, 14,6% – on personal subsidiary plots, 2,0% – on farms. According to experts, the long-term development trend is an increase in the number of pigs in 5 years by 27,7%, in 10 years – by 36,1%, and the annual increase in pork production is planned at about 5%. Thus, in recent years, pork production has determined a positive trend in all domestic livestock farming in terms of the volume and quality of meat produced in Russia.


Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 3069
Author(s):  
Zheng Liu ◽  
Ling Lin ◽  
Haozhe Zhu ◽  
Zhongyuan Wu ◽  
Xi Ding ◽  
...  

Muscle stem cells (MuSCs) isolated ex vivo are essential original cells to produce cultured meat. Currently, one of the main obstacles for cultured meat production derives from the limited capacity of large-scale amplification of MuSCs, especially under high-density culture condition. Here, we show that at higher cell densities, proliferation and differentiation capacities of porcine MuSCs are impaired. We investigate the roles of Hippo-YAP signaling, which is important regulators in response to cell contact inhibition. Interestingly, abundant but not functional YAP proteins are accumulated in MuSCs seeded at high density. When treated with lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), the activator of YAP, porcine MuSCs exhibit increased proliferation and elevated differentiation potential compared with control cells. Moreover, constitutively active YAP with deactivated phosphorylation sites, but not intact YAP, promotes cell proliferation and stemness maintenance of MuSCs. Together, we reveal a potential molecular target that enables massive MuSCs expansion for large-scale cultured meat production under high-density condition.


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