We hear plenty about the crops that make the world go round – wheat, corn, and oilseed crops such as soybeans, canola, cottonseed, sunflower and more – but alternative crops are proliferating at boutique farms around the U.S. and the globe and becoming more and more prevalent in new foods. They also are stretching the boundaries of alternative protein choices.
We're talking versatile choices like mushrooms, Camelina, and hemp.
The Magical Mycelium from Mushrooms
For centuries, mushrooms have had a place in food history… from being consumed for strength in ancient Greece, to being the "Food of the Gods" in Roman times, to being used to heal disease in Chinese culture. There are approximately 14,000 different species of mushroom, many of which are inedible.
Today, mushrooms are most valued for their mycelium, the root-like structure that supports the fungi. These filamentous fungi fibers are quite unique and versatile and can be used to create foods that mimic the texture of animal meat with a much lower impact on the environment. Mycelium has been harvested for a variety of uses – as a promising material for foods, buildings, packaging, and even clothing – and has always been a source to aid in decomposing matter, hence for use in agriculture waste.
Following along with the trend for new alternative proteins to keep pace with the increasing worldwide demand for protein, and to mitigate the toll that animal food production takes on the world – such as contributing to global warming and being the leading cause of deforestation, species extinction, and ocean dead zones – mycelium-derived protein is gaining much attention.
Read more at globalaginvesting.com