We have all seen and are beginning to discuss the various plant-based meat and milk alternative foods in the market. Most are based on soybean and other legumes, oat, wheat, pea, or nuts. If you’ve tried these products and find them not quite like the “real thing”, you still must be impressed that they are as close as they are.
As we are discussing in class, the food science and engineering involved in making these products is truly incredible. But now comes a technology that has created a whole new level of awesomeness.
Would you believe making protein from air? Check out this website that claims just that. Evidently, they have isolated a microbe that captures carbon and nitrogen from the air to make carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Grow the microbe in fermenters and voila – you can make meat from air!
Comments
I find this process very fascinating and I would love to try it. However, it seems like the product can only exist as a powder. I am curious on how much time an effort is needed to give the product a meat-like structure and look?
I am also a fan of the thinking that went behind this idea. The original problem was to make food for astronauts. My mind can’t even comprehend how someone thought up the idea to use the air we breath as the solution. However, they weren’t able to do anything as technology was not advanced enough to make the theory a reality. Now we are able to make this idea a reality and I can’t wait to see what happens as technology get better.
It’s hard to believe that there could be a carbon-free way of producing protein, let alone one that removes carbon from the atmosphere. I wonder what the implications for greenhouse gasses and broader environmental factors this could have. It seems like this could be something that would help in reducing some effects of pollution while also feeding a lot of people. I also wonder what impact it could have on atmospheric nitrogen, which we need to keep our atmosphere intact.
This new invention of producing protein from air, in my opinion, is genuinely revolutionary and opens up new avenues for sustainable food production beyond conventional techniques like plant-based substitutes. In terms of addressing global food security and environmental sustainability, the capacity to use bacteria that absorb carbon and nitrogen from the atmosphere to produce vital nutrients, including as proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids, is a significant advancement. This method reduces the land and water footprint often associated with food production by avoiding the requirement for large-scale agriculture. If successful on a large scale, it might completely change the way we think about food sources, which would have a big impact on lowering greenhouse gas emissions and building stronger food systems.
Oh my gosh, if that is really something that is possible to produce on a large scale, that is wildly revolutionary for the food industry! The first things that come to my mind are how a technology like that could be implemented where it is hard to grow foods, like in rural parts of Alaska where even basic foods are incredibly expensive for the community because they have to ship everything out there. I really like the idea of a carbon negative food system. My brain can’t understand how that’s even possible that they create food from air and cultures, is it like Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs?
If this novel “air meat” can imitate regular meat well, then I think it would be very popular, especially with people who can about treating animals ethically.
This is very interesting. However, I would be very hesitant to eat something that was made from air protein. I can do plant based products because they are actually made from plants. But this is something that is concocted in a lab. There are still many questions that need to be answered about its long term effects on the body.
After looking over this company’s website, I really want more details about how this process works and what expansion would look like for the company. I would like to know what AirFermentationTM is and what culture they are using to ferment the air, but I couldn’t find anything on their website about it. The idea of literally creating protein “out of thin air” seems too much like a sci-fi concept to be real, but I can’t wait to hear more about this company in the future.
I think this company shows the potential for fermentation. If fermentation can create proteins (all 20 including the essential 9), then it really shows there are few limits to its possibilities. This invention can really help people who lack proteins in their diet. Because it is a powder, it can be implemented into just about everything and considered vegan, so anyone can have it.
It’s unbelievable to look at their process and results. The idea of taking air fermentation and mixing with cultures feel somewhat akin to a cheese-making process. The idea of having this one interesting material and mixing all sorts of elements together to make this incredible product. Being a protein, it’s also very interesting to see the claims of gelation, emulsification, solubility, etc. as if this protein is a super food. This feels too good to live up to the expectations they set for their product. For instance, this product is >85% protein and contains all 20 amino acids while having flour-like capabilities. I have several questions and would love to see some sort of application with what they’re putting out there.
I think that this idea is super interesting. A lot of times it is very easy to have a negative outlook on the future of our planet as it can feel hopeless with what seems like so many bad things. However, innovative technologies like this bring so much hope to the future. There are so many new ideas and technologies arising to address the crises and it makes me feel hopeful for our future.