Top 5 Biggest Discoveries in Food Science

Advances in food science have seen the likes of plant-based meat substitutes become part of the everyday grocery basket and restaurant menu.

Environmental and health concerns about the quantity of meat produced and eaten by society have led to a notable rise in the production and consumption of vegetarian and vegan foods that mimic the taste, texture and image of genuine meat products.

From meatless burgers to meatless sausages, it’s believed these foods offer a healthy and sustainable take on familiar meat favorites, and it’s a bandwagon people are happily jumping onto.

Scientists are also working on developing lab-grown meat, which despite some sticky ethical questions, could one day offer a genuine solution in helping to reduce the animal agriculture carbon footprint as well as improve animal welfare.

There is a growing public awareness of cannabidiol – also known as CBD – and its potential health and medical properties. Research studies have found it can potentially help relieve anxiety and pain, while other studies have even found it can help reduce the number of epileptic seizures in some patients.

Although CBD is derived from the hemp plant, it doesn’t contain the psychoactive ingredient, THC. In very low doses in commercially viable products, such as olive oils and coconut oils, many use CBD oil in baking and cooking.

At the moment, there is still a severe lack of good scientific evidence to back up the supposed health benefits of CBD, but research is continuing.

In a bid to reduce the number of plastic bottles used in this year’s London Marathon, volunteers handed out biodegradable water capsules to runners instead.

Over 30,000 capsules were handed out to runners who could either consume them whole, or simply bite into them to release the liquid inside.

The capsules were made of brown seaweed extracts as seaweed’s natural membrane makes it the ideal resource for creating a biodegradable product. No farmland, water or fertilizer is needed to harvest it either. 

This means that if the capsules aren’t consumed then the discarded wrapping can simply be left to biodegrade in a matter of weeks (around the same amount of time as a piece of fruit).

If consuming seaweed water pods is what it takes to help save the world, then so be it!

In what’s becoming a world full of endless possibilities, the concept of 3D-printed food is just one of them.

It’s believed 3D food printers can offer an innovative solution to people who struggle to eat and process solid foods by printing nutritionally balanced meals. There are even suggestions the technology could be used to print meat products as a more sustainable way to create meat.

Although the idea is difficult to get your head around at the moment, in the future buying a 3D food printer could be as common as buying a toaster or microwave oven.