Food of the future?
Test-Tube Burger: Lab Cultured Meat Passes Taste Test (Sort of) - Areille Duhaime-Ross
First taste of test-tube burger declared ‘close to meat’ - Kate Kellend
The world’s first laboratory-grown beef burger was flipped out of a petri dish and into a frying pan on Monday (8/5/2013), with food tasters declaring it tasted “close to meat”. Grown in-vitro from cattle stem cells at a cost of 250,000 euros ($332,000), the burger was cooked and eaten in front of television cameras to gain the greatest media coverage for the culmination of a five-year science experiment. Even the scientist behind the burger’s creation, vascular biologist Mark Post of Maastricht University in the Netherlands, was relatively muted in his praise of its flavor. “It’s a very good start,” he told the hundreds of reporters who had gathered to watch the meat being cooked and served. The Dutch scientist’s aim is to show the world that in the future meat will not necessarily have to come from the environmentally and economically costly rearing and slaughtering of millions of animals. The World Health Organization (WHO) says meat production is projected to rise to 376 million tons by 2030 from 218 million tons annually in 1997-1999, and demand is expected to rise beyond that. While the science looks achievable, affordable mass production will be challenging. Post said he is confident the concept can be scaled up but said it might be another 20 years before lab-grown meat appears on supermarket shelves.
Insect protein farm created for anyone who can stomach eating larvae
Graham Templeton
A new project from Austrian designer Katharina Unger proposes that a home could produce a good portion of its own meat protein right in the family kitchen. It would be cheap, easy, quick, and nutritious. But there’s a catch….the protein source in question is the larvae of the black soldier fly. Unger says that a future in which insects are the only economical choice for meat protein might not be so far-fetched. The black soldier fly is a truly impressive source of energy, however: the larvae are made up of as much as 42% protein and contain many essential amino acids. In fact, just 1 gram of black soldier fly eggs can turn into 2.4 kilograms of protein. Unger says the best way is simply to cook them up as-is. “They smell a bit like cooked potatoes. The consistency is a bit harder on the outside and like soft meat on the inside. The taste is nutty and a bit meaty.” Her favorite recipe? Tomato-larvae pasta with Parmesan cheese.
Cricket protein bar maker seeks to ‘normalize the consumption of insects’
Kacey Culliney
There has been a huge push recently to get consumers thinking about alternative protein sources, given the global food crisis. Two young entrepreneurs have developed a high protein bar using crickets that they say has superior nutritional qualities and can go a long way in making insect consumption mainstream in America. The start-up has sourced funding on Kickstarter—a site dedicated to crowd-funding for creative projects. Exo has generated just shy of $50,000 in pledges from members of the public. Exo roasts whole crickets sourced from US farms, then mills them into fine flour. The cricket flour is used in a formulation of almond butter, dates, coconut flour and shredded coconut, raw cacao in powder form and nibs for texture, raw honey and sea salt. In total each bar contains around 25 crickets. The original plan was to rent commercial kitchens and make the bars themselves, however due to overwhelming interest Exo would like to work with one US-based co-manufacturer and is currently assessing its options. The cricket bar makers will target health-conscious consumers initially—particularly those on the paleo or “cave-man” diet—but eventually hope to spark broader appeal among any consumer looking for a healthy snack. Cricket bars can already be found in the US—Utah-based firm Chapul sells them online in three flavors and candy firm Hotlix also retails ‘bug’ lollipops.
And if you don’t want to eat bugs….how about wood?
Could Wood Feed the World? - Charles Choi
Let Them Eat Wood! (If It’s Turned Into Starch) - Eliza Barclay
For Zhang Percival, growing up in China meant learning to appreciate just how critical a stable food supply is to avoiding unrest and disasters like famine. As an associate professor of biological systems engineering at Virginia Tech, he is concerned with just how risky growing food has become because of the finite resources it requires: land, water, seeds and fertilizer. According to Zhang, “Wood, bushes, grasses—they don’t need special attention, and in nature, there’s more than 100 times more of this non-food biomass than the starch we currently grow as food.” In a study published this spring with colleagues in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Zhang explains a process he developed to transform solid cellulose—which could come from wood, grass or crop residue (like corn husks)—into a carbohydrate called amylose. Cellulose also contains glucose, but Zhang wants to create a healthier food product that won’t cause blood sugar levels to rise and fall. One company, Ingredion, has developed all kinds of products from corn, tapioca, wheat, potatoes and other raw materials and is already turning the cellulose in corn husks of GMO corn into edible products. But Zhang says his process is unique because he can use any kind of biomass, and he can convert it efficiently. In the short term, he thinks his starch might be useful as a low-calorie, easily digestible coating to transform the texture of other food products. For example, his powder could be subbed in for bread crumbs to coat and fry chicken. But in the long term, he hopes that this kind of technology will allow humans to turn to cellulose as a food source, if and when traditional agriculture is up against more severe resource limitations. For now, the production cost is too high, though Zhang says he is confident that the cost will come down.
Food of the Past….
Three Ways Cooking Has Changed Over the Last 300 Years - Amy Guttman
With help from food historian Annie Gray, Judith Gray has been cooking—and blogging—her way through
The Unknown Ladies Cookbook, a 300-year-old British compendium of family recipes jotted down by hand by several different women between 1690 and 1830. The recipes provide insights into the cooking habits of the Georgian and Regency periods as well as tell us a bit about how much culinary craft has changed over the centuries.
Inventive Cooking with Carrots: Carrots featured heavily in the cookbook and were popular for lots of things beyond salad and carrot cake. Carrots were frequently used because, like potatoes, carrots have a longer harvest and less spoilage. Carrots mashed with sugar or boiled, scooped out and filled with dried fruit and sugar were typically served as a second course. The dessert course would be ice cream, biscuits or fruit. Those carrot dishes today would probably be served as dessert and the biscuits and/or fruit served at other times during the meal.
About Eating the Whole Animal. When people kept their own animals, they were much more conscientious about using as much of it as possible. This is reflected in many recipes that call for offal prepared using slow-cooking techniques to tenderize the tougher cuts. In the 20th Century, people became more urbanized and squeamish. But the habit also died because World War I and II took a heavy toll on the culinary skills in British middle- and upper-class kitchens.
Incredibly Expanding Eggs: Some recipes call for as many as 30 eggs to bake a cake; others suggest whisking for an hour. Eggs have grown larger over the last century. As eggs began to be classed by quality and weight, farmers culled smaller chickens in favor of larger ones that produced bigger eggs. While whisking for an hour sounds like a workout, with servants to do the actual work, the women running a household wouldn’t have minded.
6,100-year-old crock pot has earliest evidence of food spicing (and it’s still delicious)
Nidhi Subbaraman
Archaeologists Uncover First Use of Spices in European Cuisine
Sid Perkins
About 6,100 years ago, an unnamed Stone Age chef made culinary history when she flavored a simple dish of deer meat or fish, cooking in clay pot over an open wood fire, with the pungent round seeds of the garlic mustard plant. Researchers at the University of York analyzed burnt food remains from clay cooking pots found in Neolithic dwellings in Denmark and Germany. On the clay, along with meat fats or traces of fish, they found the distinct remains of garlic mustard seeds. While cumin, coriander, capers, basil, poppy and dill have been collected at other sites in southern Europe, the Middle East and India, some older they may have been around for medicinal or even decorative purposes. This is the earliest conclusive evidence of a spice’s use in ancient cuisine. Because no whole seeds were found in their “very well preserved” samples, researchers deduced that the Neolithic communities used well-ground seeds rather than whole ones in their cooking. The seeds were found in eight vessels collected from three sites in Germany and Denmark. A majority of the fats found in the pots were fishy preparations. Meat fats were also identified, and were likely to have come from roe deer or red deer, which would have been the dominant ruminants in the area at that time.
Today…..
Incredibly Shrinking Avocados: Why This Year’s Fruit Are So Tiny
Alastair Bland
Hass avocados usually weigh half a pound or more. In the summer of 2013, though, hundreds of thousands of trees in Southern California are sagging with the tiniest Hass avocados in local memory—some just the size of a golf ball. The main reason for the lemon-sized fruits, sources say, is a very unusual growing year that consisted of low winter rainfall in early 2012 (avocados spend more than a full year developing on the tree), erratic bee activity during the late spring bloom period, and lots of unseasonably cool and cloudy weather in the year since. But the positive trade-off is that this year’s crop consists of more individual fruits than usual and, in fact, will probably weigh in at more than usual. Gary Bender, a University of California avocado specialist and farm adviser in San Diego County, says that most years, several months after pollination, high July temperatures cause many fruits to drop off the branches. That didn’t occur in the summer of 2012. The resulting abundance of individual fruits on each tree, combined with low rainfall, cool temperatures and sluggish photosynthesizing, has likely caused the stunting. Farmers and other fans of bigger avocados may get relief next year when industry experts expect this spring’s relatively low number of newly set fruits to result in fewer but larger avocados.
Avocado Health Facts: 6 Things You Didn’t Know
HuffPost Healthy Living
The mighty powers of the avocado stretch farther than you probably realize.
An Avocado Is A Fruit, And More Specifically A Berry. The avocado is technically a fruit, and even more specifically, a single-seeded berry. A fruit is “the matured ovary of a flower”, according to University of California Agriculture & Natural Resources. Fruits consist of a tough outer layer (skin or rind), a middle layer we typically think of as the flesh and a casing around a seed (or seeds).
An Avocado Has More Potassium than a Banana. A single avocado has 975 milligrams of potassium, while a banana delivers just half that with 487 milligrams per large fruit.
Avocados Ripen More Quickly with a Banana or Apple Around. If you store your unripe avocados in a brown bag with an apple or banana, the naturally occurring ethylene gas released and trapped in the bag will help green avocados ripen more quickly.
Avocados Are One of a Few High-Protein Fruits. Avocados have the highest amount of protein of any fruit, and it’s good-quality protein to boot—100% of the protein is available for use by the body.
You Can Swap Avocados for Butter in Some Baked Goods. The creamy texture and healthy fats in avocados make for a surprisingly easy baking substitution. And no, you won’t be making green muffins.
You Don’t Have to Eat Them to Reap their Benefits. The antioxidants, amino acids and essential oils inside an avocado can help repair damaged hair, moisturize dry skin, treat sunburns and maybe even minimize wrinkles.
10 Things You Didn’t Know About Quinoa
Emily Saladino
We do know that quinoa is a versatile, protein-filled superfood. While similar staples like bulgur and barley tend to be relegated to health food aisles and your hippie aunt’s vegetarian casserole, quinoa is a crowd-pleaser with enormous global appeal. What else?
Though it is often called a whole grain, quinoa isn’t a grain at all. True grains are derived from grasses but quinoa is part of a protein-rich plant family that includes fellow iron maidens like spinach and beets.
A superfood in more ways than one, quinoa can grow in diverse climates and terrains including areas with minimal rainfall, irrigation and fertilization.
Andean peoples in Ecuador, Peru, Colombia and Bolivia first cultivated quinoa some 7,000 years ago. Contemporary consumers (such as US) developed our appetites within only the past decade.
In the 1500s Spanish conquistadors deemed quinoa unholy due to its elevated status in indigenous cultures and even prohibited natives from cultivating it.
Twenty years ago, NASA researchers declared quinoa the perfect inflight snack for astronauts because it is mineral-rich, gluten-free and contains all essential amino acids.
In January 2013, a UK newspaper ran a provocative piece about how quinoa’s rising popularity worldwide has rendered it too expensive for the Bolivian people. Other analysts argue that quinoa’s rising prices can be good for indigenous smallholder farmers. Food politics are complicated. All things in moderation.
There are over 120 different identified varieties of quinoa, but the most commonly cultivated and exported are white, red and black.
The UN named 2013 The International Year of Quinoa, citing how its endurance and durability as a crop contributes to the world food security.
While we norteamericanos typically use quinoa as a rice substitute, locals in cities like Bogota and La Paz drink the stuff.
The quinoa crop protects itself from predators with a waxy, bitter-tasting coat of saponins, an organic chemical compound that gets rinsed away during cultivation. Resourceful Andean families would traditionally save this saponin-heavy wash water to use as shampoo.
And speaking of hair….
Is Hair In Food A Health Risk?
Victor Zapana
Finding a hair in your spaghetti is gross, no question. But it is not, for the most part, a health threat. It’s so benign that the Food and Drug Administration in its Food Code guidelines doesn’t even place a limit on strands per plate. The FDA has set many standards for what it defines as “natural or unavoidable defects” in foods, but hair doesn’t even make that list. The only real scenario in which hair would pose a threat is if you ate a whole head’s worth. Large quantities can do to your digestion what it does to your shower drain. The truth is, you might have eaten hair today. Food manufacturers use L-cysteine, an amino acid in keratin to stabilize dough and perk up the taste buds that detect salty, savory flavors. Although some factories derive their L-cysteine synthetically or from duck feathers, others get it from human hair.
Eating At Your Desk Is Making You More Stressed and Less Creative, Study Shows
Stacy Teitel
Along with the death of the 9-to-5 job, the lunch break has vanished from many employees’ work schedules. According to a 2011 survey by human resources consulting firm Right Management, only one in three American workers take a lunch break. But your lunch habits can make a big difference in your work life according to a Germany study recently published in the journal PLOS ONE. Test participants ate meals in completely different contexts: Lunch consumed in a bland office environment was eaten alone in a short period of time, whereas at a restaurant, subjects were given time to select and consume the meal in the company of others. The restaurant meal also concluded with a short walk back to the lab. After the meals, researchers measured sematic memory, cognitive control and error processing, the processing of emotional facial expressions, and subjects filled out a questionnaire ranking their mood. Although a long off-site lunch might seem like a productivity-killer, it could actually help you get more done, Fast Company reported. Time for relaxation has been linked with heightened productivity and can help ward off stress and burnout at work.
If you eat at your desk because you don’t want the shame of eating alone…..
Japanese Lonely Seats Hide Your Solo Dining Shame
Paula Forbes
So that its students will not have to endure the humiliation of actually eating with each other, Kyoto University and Kobe University in Japan have installed “lonely seats” in its dining hall. The seats have a barrier that runs down the middle of the table that prevents eye contact between diners. It’s designed to help busy students avoid the pressure to socialize. This marks a tide change in the world’s acceptance of solo dining. Now there are pop-ups dedicated to solo dining.
But if you’re depressed about dining alone…..
Drinking Coffee Reduces Suicide Risk
FoodProductDesign.com
Coffee-Drinkers now have another reasons to continue filling up their morning mugs. Drinking several cups of coffee daily may reduce the risk of suicide by about 50%, according to a new research published in The World Journal of Biological Psychiatry. Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) reviewed data from three large US studies and found the risk of suicide for adults who drank two to four cups of caffeinated coffee per day was about half compared to those who drank decaffeinated coffee, very little or no coffee. Despite these findings, the authors do not recommend depressed adults increase caffeine consumption because most individuals adjust their caffeine intake to an optimal level for them, and an increase could result in unpleasant side effects. Few participants in the HSPH studies drank large amounts of coffee, so the studies did not address the impact of six or more cups of coffee per day.
If you don’t like the taste of coffee….
‘Sprayable Energy’ Caffeine Spray Will Perk You Up Without The Aftertaste
Sara Gates
Tired of the dreaded coffee aftertaste? Ben Yu, a 21-year-old tech fellow, and Deven Soni, his 33-year-old former venture capitalist partner have created a caffeine spray that can be applied directly to the skin, so caffeine fiends do not have to down a cup of coffee or energy drink to get a boost. And it’s calorie free! The patent-pending energy spray is absorbed through the skin and apparently distributed through the body over a period of several hours for a long-lasting caffeine buzz. Though each dose contains less caffeine that a normal cup of coffee, it packs the same amount of punch. Once approved and on the market, each bottle of spray will contain about 120 sprays (40 doses) and is expected to retail for $15.
7 Time Food Really is the Answer
Cristina Goyanes
Stuffing your face in most cases can do more harm than good. But in certain situations, noshing can actually help…
If you’re in a funk, eat sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are one of the most nutritious sources of carbohydrates and, thanks to the fiber, the carbs will enter your blood stream at a more gradual rate, avoiding a crash later.
If you can’t sleep, eat Hummus. Tryptophan, an amino acid in chickpeas, is a precursor to melatonin, and levels of this hormone rise in the evening, making you sleepy.
If your muscles ache, drink tart cherry juice. Tart cherries have anti-inflammatory antioxidants called anthocyanins, which may help in reducing muscle soreness after exercise.
If you feel sluggish, drink coconut water. Low energy is sometimes a sign that you are not drinking enough water throughout the day. Turn to coconut water for a pick-me-up since it has electrolytes such as magnesium, calcium, and potassium, which help regulate how and where fluids are distributed throughout the body.
If your stomach is rebelling, drink peppermint tea. Studies have shown that peppermint can help relieve abdominal pain and discomfort by suppressing the muscle spasms that make you want to curl up in a corner.
If you have a pounding migraine, eat spinach. Instead of popping a pill, try a salad. Magnesium is used in the ER to treat acute migraine attacks, and spinach contains magnesium as well as riboflavin.
If you need to raise your blood sugar levels, eat dried apricots. The best way to increase your blood sugar levels is to consume sugar, but go for a healthy sweet source, such as dried apricots, which immediately increase blood sugar levels because they are rich in glucose and low in fructose.
Gadgets can track your sleep, monitor eating habits and help you stay fit
Consumer Reports
To help people become more aware of their physical activity—or lack of it—companies are marketing high-tech gadgets with claims that they can measure movement, sleep, food intake and weight. Here’s a quick look at some of the devices available now or coming soon.
Wrist gadgets. Older devices, such as pedometers, simply count your steps, but the newer trackers are designed to continually monitor all of your movements. Some can also track your sleep quality and calories burned, and even automatically transfer the information to your smartphone or computer. Wristband gadgets can comfortably be worn round the clock.
Phone gadgets. Almost half of all Americans carry smartphones, according to a recent survey from the Pew Research Center. That means that many of us might be able to turn to easy-to-use fitness apps to help step up our workouts.
Diet gadgets. The HAPIfork is an eating utensil that vibrates and lights up if you eat too quickly. It also transfers your eating-habit information to your computer or smartphone. The fork is meant to make you more aware of what you’re consuming.
Bathroom gadgets. Smart scales can automatically upload your weight via a WiFi connection to your computer, tablet or smartphone to help you keep track of your daily progress.
Bottom line: It’s important to keep moving as well as to keep watching your weight. Use whatever helps you stay motivated—whether its high tech or not.
An extravagance that’s good for you….
LA Restaurant Has 45-Page Water Menu, Water Sommelier
Hillary Dixler
LA restaurant Ray’s & Stark Bar has added a 20-item Water Menu to its beverage list as well as water sommelier Martin Riese. The list includes waters from ten different countries including Spain, France, Germany and Canada. The bottles range in size from .75 – 1 liter, and are priced from $8 – $16. The most expensive bottle is Riese’s own California-made water 9OH2O, which is made “in limited editions of 10,000 individually numbered glass bottles.” The menu is a booklet that features descriptions of each water varietal, including information on origin, mineral content, and tasting notes.
Water sommelier not necessary for this…..
Just-Add-Water Beer From Pat’s Backcountry Beverages Might Revolutionize Your Hiking Trip
Rachel Tepper
Beer is a pain to bring along on hiking trips. Pat’s Backcountry Beverages has a solution: a just-add-water beer concentrate and an easy-to-carry carbonation system. Owner Pat Tatera says that basically beer is just “barley, water, hops and yeast.” The beer concentrate isn’t made by dehydrating a conventional beer. Instead their process—patent pending—allows them to start with little or no water and carefully control the fermentation. Each beer packet makes a single 16 oz. pint. The carbonation system looks more like a water bottle, and is activated by simply moving a lever on the contraption up and down.