Sr. Vice President Food Research (retired) ADM Co. (retired) Canyon Lake, TX, United States
Abstract: As we approach the middle of the 21st century, global population is projected to reach 10 billion by 2050. Along with this population growth, improving economic conditions in many developing countries is increasing the demand for protein. At the same time, agricultural land remains constant thus we must learn to produce more protein with existing resources. This growing demand for protein can be met, if we are able to innovate with new sources of more sustainable food proteins.
These new emerging sources of food proteins will evolve and develop from both old and very new ideas. They can be broadly classified in five categories:
Plant-based- soy, wheat, pea, other legumes, other cereals Micro-Organisms – yeast, fungi, algae, bacteria Recombinant Proteins – single cell organisms or plants expressing animal proteins Cultivated Meat – growing animal cells in vitro Insects – isolated proteins, flours, whole
Proteins from the categories above will be competing in some very large global markets. To give some sense of economic scale, meat at retail is a $1.6 trillion market and dairy is $620 billion. To provide animal feed for these markets requires nearly half of the cereal grains produced each year. By using more efficient sources of proteins, we can extend the agricultural output of the planet to meet future demands for quality protein.
