Role of biotechnology – Novel foods
A novel food is a food that does not have a significant history of consumption in a region. It includes foods that are recently introduced, or foods that are produced using a new process. A good example of this is the fungus Fusarium which is used to produce mycoprotein. This is protein produced from a fungus. The fungus is grown in large containers called A tank containing nutrients, which is used to grow large numbers of bacteria or yeast.. The conditions inside are maintained to promote maximum growth:
- The pH and temperature are maintained at the The best or most appropriate - for instance, the conditions under which an enzyme works best (eg temperature and pH).
- The temperature is controlled by a water jacket that surrounds the whole fermenter
- Sterile oxygen is added to make sure that aerobic The chemical change that takes place inside living cells, which uses glucose and oxygen to release the energy that organisms need to live. Carbon dioxide is a by-product of respiration. occurs
- A food source like glucose syrup is added
- The mixture inside is stirred to make sure all the oxygen and nutrients are equally distributed
After the fungus has fully grown in the fermenter, it is harvested and purified and the process is then repeated with a new batch of ingredients.
Producing protein from fungus is much more efficient than from meat from livestock. Only about 10% of the energy found in grass is transferred to the animals like cows that eat it. 1000 g of plant carbohydrate can produce up to 14 g of beef, 49 g of chicken or 136 g of mycoprotein. Additionally, fermenters can be used to produce protein in places where grass and livestock cannot grow.