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   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    Fungi-based meat alternatives to help save Earth's forests    
      
     Date:   
         May 4, 2022   
     Source:   
         Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK)   
     Summary:   
         Substituting 20 % of meat from cattle with microbial protein --   
         a meat alternative produced in fermentation tanks -- by 2050   
         could halve deforestation, a new analysis finds. The market-ready   
         meat alternative is very similar in taste and texture, but is a   
         biotech product which -- by replacing beef -- involves much less   
         land resources and greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture and   
         land-use change. This goes under the assumption of a growing world   
         population's increasing appetite for beefy bites, and it is the   
         first time researchers have projected the development of these   
         market-ready meat substitutes into the future, assessing their   
         potential impact on the environment.   
      
      
      
   FULL STORY   
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   The market-ready meat alternative is very similar in taste and texture,   
   but is a biotech product which -- by replacing beef -- involves much   
   less land resources and greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture and   
   land-use change.   
      
   This goes under the assumption of a growing world population's increasing   
   appetite for beefy bites, and it is the first time researchers have   
   projected the development of these market-ready meat substitutes into   
   the future, assessing their potential impact on the environment.   
      
      
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   "The food system is at the root of a third of global greenhouse gas   
   emissions, with ruminant meat production being the single largest   
   source," says Florian Humpeno"der, researcher at PIK and lead author   
   of the study. That is because more and more forests that store a lot of   
   carbon are cleared for cattle grazing or growing its feed, and because   
   of further greenhouse-gas emissions from animal agriculture. Part of the   
   solution could be existing biotechnology: Nutritious protein-rich biomass   
   with meat-like texture produced from microbes like fungi via fermentation,   
   what scientists call "microbial protein."  "The substitution of ruminant   
   meat with microbial protein in the future could considerably reduce the   
   greenhouse gas footprint of the food system," says Humpeno"der. "The   
   good news is that people do not need to be afraid they can eat only   
   greens in the future. They can continue eating burgers and the like,   
   it's just that those burger patties will be produced in a different way."   
   Sustainable burgers: replacing minced red meat with microbial protein The   
   team of researchers from Germany and Sweden included microbial protein   
   in a computer simulation model to detect the environmental effects in the   
   context of the whole food and agriculture system, as opposed to previous   
   studies at the level of single products. Their forward-looking scenarios   
   run until 2050 and account for future population growth, food demand,   
   dietary patterns as well as dynamics in land use and agriculture. As meat   
   consumption will likely continue to rise in the future, more and more   
   forests and non-forest natural vegetation may be doomed to extinction   
   for pastures and cropland.   
      
   "We found that if we substituted 20 per cent of ruminant meat per   
   capita by 2050, annual deforestation and CO2 emissions from land-use   
   change would be halved compared to a business-as-usual scenario. The   
   reduced numbers of cattle do not only reduce the pressure on land but   
   also reduce methane emissions from the rumen of cattle and nitrous oxide   
   emissions from fertilizing feed or manure management," says Humpeno"der   
   "So replacing minced red meat with microbial protein would be a great   
   start to reduce the detrimental impacts of present-day beef production."   
   Microbial protein can be decoupled from agricultural production "There   
   are broadly three groups of meat analogues," Isabelle Weindl, co-author   
   and also researcher at PIK, explains. "There are plant-based ones like   
   soybean burger patties, and animal cells grown in a petri dish also known   
   as cultured meat, which is so far very expensive but got a lot of public   
   attention recently. And there's fermentation-derived microbial protein,   
   which we consider most interesting. It is available in a large variety   
   already today in supermarkets, for example in the UK or in Switzerland,   
   and, importantly, it can be largely decoupled from agricultural   
   production. Our results show that even accounting for the sugar as   
   feedstock, microbial protein requires much less agricultural land compared   
   to ruminant meat for the same protein supply."  Microbial protein is made   
   in specific cultures, just like beer or bread. The microbes are living   
   on sugar and a steady temperature, and getting out a very protein-rich   
   product that can taste like, feel like and be as nutritious as red   
   meat. Based on the centuries-old method of fermentation, it was developed   
   in the 1980s. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) greenlighted a   
   microbial protein meat alternative (mycoprotein) as safe in 2002.   
      
   Green biotechnology needs to be fuelled by green energy "Biotechnology   
   offers a promising toolbox for a number of land-related challenges from   
   ecosystems preservation through improving food security," says co-author   
   Alexander Popp, leader of the Land Use Management group at PIK.   
      
   "Alternatives to animal proteins, including substitutes for dairy   
   products, can massively benefit animal welfare, save water and avert   
   pressure from carbon- rich and biodiverse ecosystems." However, there   
   are crucial questions attached to shifting more and more production from   
   livestock to fermentation tanks - - most importantly the energy supply   
   for the production process.   
      
   "A large-scale transformation towards biotech food requires a large-scale   
   decarbonisation of electricity generation so that the climate protection   
   potential can be fully developed," Popp adds. "Yet if we do this properly,   
   microbial protein can help meat-lovers embrace the change. It can really   
   make a difference."   
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Story Source: Materials provided by   
   Potsdam_Institute_for_Climate_Impact_Research_(PIK).   
      
   Note: Content may be edited for style and length.   
      
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Journal Reference:   
      1. Humpeno"der, F., Bodirsky, B.L., Weindl, I. et al. Projected   
         environmental benefits of replacing beef with microbial   
         protein. Nature, 2022 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-04629-w   
   ==========================================================================   
      
   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/05/220504110405.htm   
      
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