{"id":2523,"date":"2023-10-06T17:59:41","date_gmt":"2023-10-06T17:59:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/horizon.peachpuff-wolverine-566518.hostingersite.com\/?p=2523"},"modified":"2023-10-06T17:59:41","modified_gmt":"2023-10-06T17:59:41","slug":"new-foods-can-go-from-yucky-to-yummy-as-peoples-perceptions-evolve","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/2523\/new-foods-can-go-from-yucky-to-yummy-as-peoples-perceptions-evolve\/","title":{"rendered":"New foods can go from yucky to yummy as people\u2019s perceptions evolve"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bugs, microalgae and bacteria are emerging as healthy and sustainable alternatives to traditional proteins.<\/p>\n

By Pieter Devuyst<\/p>\n

Dr Janina Seubert believes the path to healthier human diets is through the nose.<\/p>\n

Seubert, a cognitive neuroscientist at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, is researching the role of smell in shaping public preferences towards foods. She\u2019s curious whether scents could help people embrace protein sources such as insects as alternatives to meat and dairy.<\/p>\n

Breaking habits<\/strong><\/p>\n

Alternative proteins also include microalgae and the cells of microorganisms like bacteria and yeast \u2013 a group known as \u201csingle-cell proteins\u201d. Featuring more of these protein sources in human diets can not only improve nutrition but also ease environmental pressure caused by the worldwide breeding of livestock.<\/p>\n

The challenge for researchers like Seubert is to unlock the secrets to people\u2019s willingness to abandon familiar foods and embrace novel ones, which include the likes of crickets.<\/p>\n

\u2018So many things about how smell actually works are not properly understood,\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n

Seubert leads a project that received EU funding to learn more about how flavour preferences are formed in the human brain. Called OLFLINK<\/a>, it runs for five years through April 2026.<\/p>\n

Production of traditional proteins via livestock farming threatens to worsen climate change, hasten biodiversity loss and strain water supplies. That\u2019s because it requires vast tracts of land, consumes large amounts of water and is a major greenhouse-gas emitter.<\/p>\n

The worldwide market for animal-based proteins is\u00a0estimated<\/a> to be worth more than \u20ac1.3 trillion. By comparison, the market for alternative proteins is valued at about \u20ac13 billion.<\/p>\n

In addition to their smaller environmental footprint, non-traditional proteins could also help ensure quality food supplies for a growing global population.<\/p>\n

Learning by smelling<\/strong><\/p>\n

Seubert uses brain scans to compare physiological reactions to familiar and unfamiliar food flavours. This allows her to understand the emotional processes that attract people to familiar foods and what happens when people begin to like something new.<\/p>\n

She has found that, in contrast to generally disliked tastes such as bitterness, the positive or negative association of smells with certain foods is learned over time. People tend to like aromas that have traditionally been paired with a rewarding taste\u00a0\u2013\u00a0for example sweetness, which indicates the presence of carbohydrates.<\/p>\n

\u2018If we cannot identify a smell as a specific food, we tend not to like it very much,\u2019 said Seubert, who comes from Germany.<\/p>\n

She said people tend to compare alternative food ingredients with familiar existing products and, as a result, initially find the unfamiliar ones unpleasant.<\/p>\n

Seubert cited the example of oat milk: people might at first regard it as a variant of milk that has a \u201cwrong smell\u201d\u00a0before they grow to like the alternative the more often they drink it.<\/p>\n

Her research indicates that people may be more sensitive to new smells when hungry, suggesting that the context in which food is consumed helps determine how easily it can get accepted.<\/p>\n

Seubert\u2019s laboratory is investigating how changing the external context by, for example, providing a pleasant atmosphere or increasing knowledge about the origin of the novel flavour can speed up acceptance.<\/p>\n

One of her next steps will be to use such contextual changes to assess the consumer potential of a protein derived from mealworm.<\/p>\n

\u2018In my lab, we will study the impact of both internal factors such as hunger and external factors such as background knowledge to develop a liking for the smells of foods with proteins from insects,\u2019 said Seubert.<\/p>\n

Mealworm, which is the larva of the meal beetle, is packed with proteins and can be eaten cooked, raw or as a powder. It is now mainly used as food for birds and other animals that eat insects and worms.<\/p>\n

Microalgae and single-cell proteins also get turned into powders that are high in protein, minerals and vitamins.<\/p>\n

Nourishing powders<\/strong><\/p>\n

The nutritional, environmental and popular aspects of alternative proteins were all tackled by another EU-funded research project that has just ended after four years.<\/p>\n

Called NextGenProteins<\/a>, it focused on the production of insects, microalgae and single-cell proteins for both human food and animal feed.<\/p>\n

Birgir \u00d6rn Sm\u00e1rason, who led the project, hailed food powders from all three sources that emerged.<\/p>\n

\u2018They have high protein content, some minerals and vitamins and can be added as an extra or to replace more traditional ingredients in food products,\u2019 said Sm\u00e1rason, a research group leader at Icelandic food and biotechnology research and development company Mat\u00eds.<\/p>\n

Currently, the world\u2019s appetite for protein comes mainly from animal farming for meat and dairy.<\/p>\n

NextGenProteins studied the environmental impact of the three new protein sources together with their potential to be re-used.<\/p>\n

Green gains<\/strong><\/p>\n

The researchers discovered that spirulina, a protein powder made from microalgae by the project partners, uses less than 1% of the land, water and emissions required to produce beef. Insects had an even smaller land use: 1 000 times lower than that of red meat.<\/p>\n

Under the project, black soldier flies were transformed into animal feed and pet food, while crickets were turned into food for humans. Both final products also came in the form of a dried powder.<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s an easy material to work with and add protein,\u2019 Sm\u00e1rason said.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the single-cell proteins were created from wood residues and leftovers from forestry.<\/p>\n

This waste, which can\u2019t be used for other types of food production, was broken down with chemicals and then fermented with yeast to create another protein-rich powder that can be used directly in food and feed.<\/p>\n

\u2018In all cases, the alternative proteins are very sustainable compared to most traditional food products that we consume,\u2019 Sm\u00e1rason said.<\/p>\n

Pleasant surprises <\/strong><\/p>\n

The NextGenProteins team informed people about how the proteins are made to overcome initial scepticism.<\/p>\n

\u2018We firmly believe that, by educating consumers, we can make a big step forward towards more sustainable diets and food systems,\u2019 Sm\u00e1rason said.<\/p>\n

The team also sought feedback through taste events, discussions and other exchanges. One online survey covered 6 600 people in Finland, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Poland, Sweden and the UK.<\/p>\n

The team discovered that many people were already very positive towards alternative proteins.<\/p>\n

More than half of Europeans are in favour of microalgae and only a slightly lower level of support exists for single-cell proteins.<\/p>\n

\u2018We were surprised by the positive results,\u2019 Sm\u00e1rason said.<\/p>\n

Colour considerations <\/strong><\/p>\n

Still, he said that people surveyed showed a great deal more reluctance about eating insects because of a perception that they are generally repulsive.<\/p>\n

\u2018People usually think \u201cyuck, insects\u201d when they think about eating whole insects,\u2019 Sm\u00e1rason said.<\/p>\n

While the project\u2019s cricket-based protein powder was designed to help overcome this hurdle, the surveys still indicated that only one in three Europeans is willing to take a bite of the bugs.<\/p>\n

Sm\u00e1rason noticed that colour also plays a big role in accepting novel food products.<\/p>\n

The project\u2019s spirulina powder made from microalgae originally had a very intense green colour, which made it tough to integrate into everyday food items.<\/p>\n

\u2018During our trials, we baked bread that was so green it was hard to convince consumers to taste it,\u2019 Sm\u00e1rason said.<\/p>\n

The researchers managed to isolate the protein and took out the blue-green pigments, which are now sold as valuable colourants for other food products. This lets the protein still be added to food while looking appetising.<\/p>\n

\u2018Now we have a microalgae powder that is almost colourless, slightly brown or green \u2013 whatever fits best into the final product,\u2019 Sm\u00e1rason said.<\/p>\n

Research in this article was funded by the EU via the European Research Council (ERC). <\/em><\/p>\n

FOOD 2030<\/strong><\/p>\n

The EU is seeking to spur a transition towards sustainable, healthy and inclusive food systems through its research and innovation policy framework known as \u201cFood 2030\u201d.<\/p>\n

Food 2030 is driven by an awareness that current production and consumption patterns are affected by and contribute to crises including malnutrition, climate change, biodiversity loss and resources scarcity.<\/p>\n

The framework brings together research and innovation players in different areas to tackle interconnected challenges through a systemic and multi-actor approach.<\/p>\n

The main goals include developing knowledge and impactful solutions fostering sustainable healthy diets; climate-friendly, environmentally smart and circular food systems; and resilient and empowered communities. Other top goals are encouraging new business models, capacity building and education for a just and fair food-systems transition respecting planetary boundaries.<\/p>\n

This article is relevant to the Food 2030 Pathway on alternative proteins and dietary shift.<\/p>\n

More info<\/p>\n