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It is believed that the first "new food" that humans created was cultivated wild rice (Oryza rufipogon) in China some 12,000 years ago. It may be hard to believe that new foods are still being created or discovered and that many ubiquitous foods in our world were only found within the past century.
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Jetzt kostenlos anmeldenIt is believed that the first "new food" that humans created was cultivated wild rice (Oryza rufipogon) in China some 12,000 years ago. It may be hard to believe that new foods are still being created or discovered and that many ubiquitous foods in our world were only found within the past century.
For example, the ever-popular university student staple, beans on toast, was only invented in 1927 as a marketing ploy by Heinz to sell more beans. And shockingly, chicken nuggets did not reach the public until 1983.
Figure 1: Wild rice is believed to have been the first "new food" created by humans. Source: Wiki Commons, Public Domain
New foods vary widely in content and nutritional value, and the process of creating and discovering fresh foods continues to this day, with roughly 15,000 new food products rolling out annually. In the following, we will discuss some new foods that have recently been made available to the public and others on the horizon. We will look at their potential health and ecosystem benefits. In addition, we will look at the newest food preservation technology and what other new food technologies are in the pipeline.
The drivers of the creation of new food products go beyond simple financial interests. Dwindling natural resources, linked to an unsustainable human population, are a major driving force behind the need for more sustainable new food options. The following are some examples of recent and future foods that may benefit both the planet and humans.
The production of certain meats, particularly beef, is a significant driver of climate change and deforestation.
For example, much of the Amazon rainforest's deforestation in Brazil has been fuelled by cattle ranching.
The consumption of seafood is putting severe pressure on marine ecosystems, and even soy production is causing extensive environmental destruction, making tofu an unsustainable protein source.
Thus, there is an unmet need for more widely available sustainable protein sources.
Cultured meat, also known as lab-grown meat, is precisely what it sounds like - meat that is grown in a lab rather than coming from a slaughtered animal. This meat is created using a process known as cellular agriculture, utilising animal cell cultures. Cultured meat as a replacement for conventional meat could help to mitigate climate change and improve non-human animal welfare and human food security.
The first cultured meat products are expected to reach store shelves by the end of 2022, following extensive testing to ensure food safety.
Cellular agriculture refers to the creation of products from cell cultures. In addition to meat, cellular agriculture may be used to create coffee, eggs, horseshoe crab blood (for medical use), leather, milk, silk, and possibly even wood.
While it may seem odd or even disgusting to some people in Western cultures, entomophagy is very common and practised in much of the world already.
Entomophagy is the act of consuming insects as a food source.
In fact, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) estimates that roughly 25% of the world's population regularly consumes insects as a part of their diet.
Figure 2: Bags of edible insects in Phuket, Thailand. Wiki Commons, Public Domain
This includes around 2100 different insect species in more than 110 countries worldwide.
Insects have fast generation times, require little space, and are quite nutritious. This makes them a much more sustainable protein option.
Crickets, in particular, have gained traction as an alternative protein source and are already widely available in markets in some Western countries in the form of cricket flour and cricket protein bars. Crickets are widely consumed worldwide, with over 60 species being utilised as food sources. In addition to being an excellent source of protein, crickets provide other essential nutrients, including fatty acids and B vitamins.
In order to minimise plastic Pollution from used plastic water bottles, the NOTPLA company developed a product known as Ooho, which is water contained inside an edible and biodegradable sachet.
So, essentially, you can eat your water.
The sachets were used extensively during the 2019 London Marathon. The company has since created several other products, including edible and biodegradable ketchup and olive oil sachets, as well as takeaway boxes made of seaweed.
Using genetically modified organisms (GMOs) to manipulate foods has significantly reduced the need for crop Pesticides in recent decades. Many crops have been genetically engineered to resist pest species, mainly insects. In the future, the role of GMOs will likely increase and expand, with foods being genetically engineered to be more nutritious, resistant to disease, and resistant to environmental changes, such as drought.
The latter of which will be of the utmost importance in drought-prone portions of the world where agriculture is a major business.
Some examples of future GMO products include:
It may seem odd, but some foods can be prepared using a 3D printer. Some restaurants (mostly upscale, gourmet establishments) already sell 3D-printed meals, and you can purchase food-specific 3D printers for your use.
At this time, 3D food is fairly limited in its capacity regarding which foods and meals can be made. Still, it may gain popularity in the future as technology expands and becomes more versatile.
As of now, 3D printers can make foods such as cakes, pizzas, pancakes, and whatever else can be made using paste-like material.
Given the rising rates of chronic disease worldwide, there has been a renewed interest in how dietary therapy (nutraceuticals) may help mitigate and manage conditions by slowing or even halting their progression.
Nutraceuticals are natural food products designed to provide health benefits or treat illnesses.
They are commonly touted as an alternative to pharmaceuticals.
Today, nutraceuticals are primarily unregulated, and many lack any scientific evidence for their efficacy. A small number, however, have shown some efficacy and promise as treatments. This field is expected to grow and become more regulated and evidence-based in the future.
Much of this has focused on manipulating the microbiome or providing essential nutrients that individuals with the disease appear to lack.
For example, several different diets have been claimed to help prevent or manage the disease, some pre-existing and some newly developed. Of these diets, only a small number have been subjected to scientific scrutiny, and even a smaller number have shown efficacy.
Still, the ones that have demonstrated efficacy are pretty promising.
Dietary therapy is particularly interested in preventing and managing digestive ailments, ranging from irritable bowel syndrome to inflammatory bowel diseases. Diets such as the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, the Low FODMAP Diet, and other exclusion diets have shown efficacy in some individuals. Liquid formulae have also been developed for the same reason.
Scientists at the University of Lima in Peru, for example, have developed a formula known as Bebida Nutrifuncional to prevent chronic non-communicable diseases, such as type 2 diabetes. The formula consists of a high amount of omega-3 fatty acids and is made from sacha inchi oil, camu camu, and mango peels.
Preserving food and preventing spoilage have long concerned humankind; over history, we have developed several methods to do so. From salting and pickling to refrigeration, we have continued to increase the number of ways in which food can be preserved for future consumption, thus reducing the need to live in a "hunter-gatherer" society.
There are several new and upcoming ways to monitor and prevent food spoilage.
Something known as "intelligent packaging" will utilise specialised sensors to determine when the food packaged has spoilt, thus removing the human guesswork and perhaps extending the shelf life of many foods (which often last well beyond their written expiration date), reducing waste, and the incidence of food poisoning.
Another form of packaging called "active packaging" will be able to extend the amount of time food will remain fresh by controlling microorganism populations, temperature, and moisture levels. This could potentially make keeping food fresh while mobile or travelling much easier than it has ever been before.
Both personalised medicine and personalised nutrition are expected to gain a foothold in the near future. Food will be developed to fit your precise physiological needs based on your genome, microbiome, and health status. This may sound complex, costly, and unrealistic, but home genetic testing has already become commonplace and may make this process much more simplified and easier to accomplish.
As you may have noticed, since COVID-19 changed the world, many restaurants have done away with menus entirely, instead relying on QR codes for digitised menus. Some restaurants even provide diners with smart pads to place their own orders and pay for their food without the need for a waiter. Things were going in this direction prior to the pandemic; it simply amplified the need. In the future, this digitisation will likely increase further and include automation and robotics, including automated servers and, eventually, even automated cooks.
Cultured meat as a replacement for conventional meat could help to mitigate climate change and improve non-human animal welfare and human food security. This meat is created using a process known as cellular agriculture, utilising animal cell cultures.
Entomophagy, the act of consuming insects as a food source, is likely to play an essential role as a sustainable source of protein. Around 25% of humans already consume insects as a vital part of their diet.
Nutraceuticals are natural food products designed to provide health benefits or treat illnesses and may gain traction as a form of disease prevention and treatment in the future.
"Active" and "intelligent" packaging will help extend the shelf life of food and prevent spoilage.
Both personalised medicine and personalised nutrition are expected to gain a foothold in the near future. Food will be developed to fit your precise physiological needs based on your genome, microbiome, and health status.
Digitisation of the restaurant experience is a new facet of food technology.
Roughly 15,000
A recently discovered food is cultured/lab grown meat that is created using a process called cellular agriculture.
Cultured/lab grown meat is expected to hit the market in 2022.
An example of a new food product would be cricket flour and other cricket based foods.
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SIGNUP SIGNUPFlashcards in New Foods15
Start learningCultured meat is created using a process known as _________.
Cellular agriculture
________ is the act of consuming insects as a food source.
Entomophagy
It is estimated that around ____ of the world eats insects regularly as part of their diet.
25%
True or False- around 2100 different insect species are consumed in more than 110 countries worldwide.
True
True or False- crickets are not yet widely available as a food source in the Western world.
False
True or False- the problem with consuming insects is that they are not a viable source of nutrition.
False
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