From the flesh of plants being “planted” in the milk grown in the laboratory, the flesh of fake meats and milk has come a long way in recent years. But there is another option that scientists are studying their vision, one of the most challenging to bring it all back: fish. .
Scientists in Copenhagen are fermenting seaweed on stoves to create the latest for fish, working with Alchemist, a two-Michelin-star restaurant, to meet the demand from consumers for other principles about plants are better – or better than – the fact.
The sea fish simulation is difficult to achieve, and the team is practicing formation of filamentous membranes, micro -organisms found in the soil that form a series of mixed fibers, on the surface of the seaweed, to provide a single marine flavor.
“We scientists don’t really know how to make sweets, and we decide whether people should eat them. We can learn so much from each other. [Working with chefs] is progressing slowly, but it hasn’t grown to the point where it is necessary to end up with products that are very good, ”said Dr Leonie Jahn, the microbiologist who leads the project.
Other seafood such as the fact that they have fallen behind the progress made in the development of meat -free copies such as Impossible Burger, which is designed by “ plant ”, and plant -based milk.
Jahn says, partly because of less demand, because consumers at sea are healthier and – erroneously – more affordable, and partly because of recycling. the scale of fish and seafood is more complex. “There are these tables, the material is soft but has a bit of resistance and chewing, it’s very hard to reproduce,” he said.
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His team will use mycelium, a type of yeast -like fat that is a major scientific topic at the moment, along with researchers. you will study its uses not only in the case of animal meat but also for other materials in plastics. They will experiment with different yeast and growing conditions to find out how to restore the flavor of the food. Sami.
Another challenge poses is that algae, which will contribute to the taste of fish while maintaining and being healthy, does not provide a healthy environment for the fish to thrive. mycelium.
Rasmus Munk, chief executive and managing director of Alchemist, said the restaurant wanted to “change people’s perception of‘ new food ’”. Making other seafood is important, he said, because “the fact that I haven’t found anything on the market right now makes me put it on the list.” .
“The main goal is to create a product that is very sweet in its own right, to be chosen over other foods on the same level of taste,” he added.
According to a report from the Good Food Institute, which is funding the project, 2021 will be a year of “big growth” for the next seafood market, with 18 new companies launched and sold on it’s an “amazing situation”. The report described other seafood as a “white space”, meaning there is a lot of untapped retail demand.
Seren Kell, a science and technology manager at the Good Food Institute Europe, said the use of basic fish was at an earlier stage than other sustainable proteins, but there were “innovations”. such as using 3D printing to simulate fish fillets. To expedite this, he said, “the government needs to fund research and development of space facilities”.
While many supermarkets in the UK are promoting seafood to alleviate concerns about overfishing, many of the offerings are unique in seafood by the taste of the tofu. or jackfruit.
Jens Møller, who runs the Danish company Cavi · Art, which makes other caviar from pearl seaweed, says the high price of other plant -based products is another barrier to going to big market. His company expects it to be cheaper than replacement products, and as a result 80% of roe served at the feed in Denmark use Cavi · Art caviar rather than reality.
“There is no question that the market will grow faster when the quality of goods increases and prices decrease. I think there is an increasing awareness of our marine issues and we need to change our approaches, ”he said.
