How intelligent proteins could combat climate change and meet India’s nutritional demands. A new sector is emerging in India in response to the country’s growing population that seeks to address climate change and meet the country’s growing nutritional needs by fusing science and technology.
Experts have cautioned that Earth’s environment may eventually be unable to sustain the dietary needs of its population when nations all over the world experience harsh weather occurrences.
Experts are investigating alternatives more and more. To meet such nutritional needs, smart proteins—also referred to as plant-based proteins, lab-grown meat, or dairy produced through fermentation—are being investigated.
A smart Protien’s what?
To replace traditional meat, scientists have developed lab-grown meat in the last ten years.
It is made by cultivating animal muscle cells under carefully monitored conditions. A tiny sample of cells from an animal, such as a pig, chicken, or cow, is first taken. After that, the cells are put in a nutrient-rich solution and given time to grow. Muscle tissue is created when the cells have reached a specific density.
After cooking, this tissue can be consumed just like regular meat.
According to studies published in Science Direct, “The production of lab-based meat requires high-throughput technology at a wide scale to develop high-quality meat in the laboratory customised for the livestock agriculture industry, environment, animal welfare, and human health.”
An organization that works in this area, The Good Food Institute (GFI), has Mansi Virmani as its communications manager, she told IndiaToday.Given that addressing climate change is a top priority, the alternative protein market offers a means of mitigating the negative impacts of animal husbandry, which accounts for 14% to 17% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
The impact of smart proteins on antimicrobial resistance
The importance of lab-grown or plant-based meat and the dairy business that relies on fermentation has increased dramatically as the demand for nutrient-dense food rises.
On a broader perspective, smart proteins impact zoonotic illnesses such as Covid-19 and antibiotic resistance (AMR), both of which are latent pandemic issues originating from animal agriculture.
According to Virmani, diseases caused by animals raised in unsanitary conditions or by an overabundance of antibiotics can be eliminated with the use of smart proteins.
As you can see from the data, India is at risk and has a high rate of antibiotic resistance. Of course, there are also zoonotic illnesses. Thus, there’s a risk to the general public’s health as well, and these items are necessary from an individual’s nutritional standpoint, she added.
Taking care of different health issue
Aside from this, meat raised in a lab may not raise cholesterol or trans fat levels. Furthermore, lactose sensitivity is much decreased by dairy produced by fermentation.
Managing climate difference
The carbon footprint of lab-developed smart proteins is far smaller than that of animal flesh. They are marketed as a choice free of cruelty.
The sad reality is that we are currently experiencing a climate emergency. Reducing transportation and using less plastic may not be sufficient to solve this issue.
Adoption of smart proteins may help curb the issue of participating in more sustainable food systems to meet the public’s ever-increasing demands.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) highlighted in its Sixth Assessment that climate change will make food systems’ problems worse and endanger every facet of food security.
The growing frequency of climate-related disasters, which have already cost poor nations $108 billion in lost crop and livestock production between 2008 and 2018, is a clear indication of the impact of global warming, according to a CNBC report.
The actual
There are still a lot of methods to meet the demand for our food system, and smart protein is only one of them.
A research claims that the smart protein market raised $5 billion worldwide in 2021. However, just $10.34 million—a negligible portion of the overall investment—was received by firms founded and functioning in India.
In addition, since it is still in its infancy, the public requires improved communication tools.”
The public is not being informed, is not being made aware of, and is not communicating.” It continues to change. I am aware that there will be a learning curve before people begin to grasp the whole significance of it. Virmani concurred, saying, “We are still working to raise awareness and educate people about the scientific side of it.
