Innovations in Food Technology – Future of Food Production

Production or processing of food could look very different from what it seems today. Digitization has changed our view of how to live in this world; every field is becoming more and more advanced with the help of advancing technology. Every industry is reliant on hardware or is controlled by software.

Food production and processing are also advancing in this boom of technology. Latest innovations like 3D printing, lab-grown meat, vertical farming and more things like this could change how we grow and process our food. Agriculture and animal farming could go extinct; the base of our civilization could be replaced by technology.

Food Production will never be the same in coming years below are 5 technologies that are the reason behind it.

1. 3D Food Printing – Future of food production

Many institutes are developing 3D food printing; this is one of the interesting technologies which are under development. This technology has been building-up from the last few years as this could be a game-changer for the food industry.

It will work, as it sounds. We can build a layer of the final product, this allows us to give any size, shape, and texture and taste to the product in the future.

3D printing will let you customize your final product according to your needs; this is how making food for yourself in the future sounds like.

Research says that this technology will instantly become popular among food producers, retailers and customers as well. This will also eliminate the waste produced by traditional cooking which will be a great plus of this technology.

2. High-Pressure Food Processing – Increasing the life of shelf food 

There is an ongoing problem of how we can increase the life of food on the shelf without jeopardizing the quality and taste of the food; this has been a major concern for food producers.

New technologies to preserve food for a long time are under development. Innovation like HPP (high-pressure processing) could increase the life of food on the shelf by 10 times shortly, and this is what is required by the food industry.

It a kind of cold pasteurization process in which packed food will go under a high-pressure environment.  This will eliminate microorganisms to ensure food safety and at the same time taste, size and texture and nutritional value will remain the same. One absolute benefit of HPP is that there will be no use of any kind of irradiation or chemical.

3. Vertical Farming- Modern Solution to Modern Problems

Vertical farming is an amazing idea. This is a modern solution to modern problems. Traditional agriculture needs a large land for farming but as more and more people are shifting to the cities it is difficult to grow crops in a large area.  We could save a lot of area if we farm upwards.

An ecologist, Dickson Despommier suggested this idea a long time ago. He insisted to build a tower of farming, where on every floor there will be crops.

This idea was not adopted fully but some prototypes were made in South Korea, Japan, and Singapore and Chicago.

This type of farming has some advantages over traditional farming. Now the area used in farming will be less and all-season cropping is also possible.

4. Lab-Grown Meat – Better for the envirnment 

Selling of lab-grown meat could soon be possible, it is also known as Vitro animals or clean meat. This type of meat is grown from the cells of stems that are gathered by biopsy from farm animals and after that processed in a lab for a few days.

Environmentalists believe that vitro meat will have a positive impact on animal farming. They also believe that most greenhouse gasses could reduce up to 90% if this technique were adopted.

Development in making this technology available in the market is going on. This is quite expensive when compared to the traditional way of growing meat. As technology keeps on developing, the efficiency of this technology will also improve.

5. Plant-Based Proteins – The best source of protein 

Proteins are very essential to maintain and build our muscles; it also helps in keeping our bones strong and functioning of our brain. Less intake of protein could mean you are losing your stamina, energy, muscle mass, and hair.

You can also get protein from sources like animals, eggs, and fish and in many plants as well. Many of these items are rich in a nutrient that your body needs can be fulfilled.

Growing plant-based protein is much simpler when compared to animal protein as it will be harmless to the environment.

Examples of plant-based protein are:-

• Chickpeas

• Lentils

• Barley

• Almonds

• Spinach

• Kidney beans

• Quinoa

• Peanut

Well, there are many more to it.

Tofu and tempeh are common plants based on meat alternatives.

Plant-Based protein has an edge over animal protein but it also has minor drawbacks as well like not every plant-based contains amino acids which are vital for growth.

It also takes time to digest as compared to animal protein lack vitamin B12.