����ý

A novel food is a food that does not have a significant history of consumption in a region. It includes foods that are recently introduced, or foods that are produced using a new process. Development of novel foods could aid in meeting the food demand of the growing human population. A good example of this is the fungus Fusarium which is used to produce mycoprotein. The fungus is grown in large containers called fermenters. The conditions inside are maintained to promote maximum growth:

• the pH and temperature are maintained at the optimum level
• the temperature is controlled by a water jacket that surrounds the whole fermenter
• sterile oxygen is added to make sure that aerobic respiration occurs
• a food source like glucose syrup is added
• the mixture inside is stirred to make sure all the oxygen and nutrients are equally distributed

After the fungus has fully grown in the fermenter, it is harvested and purified and the process is then repeated with a new batch of ingredients.

Producing protein from fungus is much more efficient than producing meat from livestock. Only about 10% of the energy found in grass is transferred to animals like cows that eat it. 1000 g of plant carbohydrate can produce up to 14 g of beef, 49 g of chicken or 136 g of mycoprotein. Additionally, fermenters can be used to produce protein in places where grass and livestock cannot grow.