An arresting fact is … the world is running out of protein!
This is supported by the data being collected by FAO, the United National’s Food and Agriculture Organisation, that shows last year we fell short on protein production by 10 million tonnes when shared 85:125 million tonnes between animal and plants proteins. This is not a one off and there is indicating a projected trend that shows by 2030 we will be 20 million tonnes short and by 2050 – when the world is expecting to accommodate 9.6 million humans – the shortfall will be between 50 and 100 million tonnes with animal and plant proteins representing 95:145 million tonnes each respectively.
Therefore, efforts within the food industry have focused on this challenge by identifying alternative protein sources that the fill this ‘gap’ and the company dsm-Firmenich thinks it has a solution that might tick many of the boxes that other alternatives to plants and animals proteins do not – low price, low footprint, scaling, appearance, neutral taste and widespread acceptance while utilising various feed stocks that are by-product steams coming from production crops.
And the first example of the production system with proteins aimed for inclusion in the aqua and petfood industry starts in Indian as early as the first months of 2027.
This is the outline offered by Karim Kurmaly of dsm-Firminech when he explains key aspects of this new protein called Protopia – which interestingly is a real word that means small-steps taken with continuous improvements but not offering a ‘utopia’ outcome and on which the word is based.
Our thanks to Karim and to dsm-Firmenich for sharing information on this development through Rongorongo Live Studio and our magazines – which reach millers globally and who might in turn plan to utilise Protopia in the near future!
