Nutrition of the near future: pasta from beetles, milk from algae and borscht from a printer

We are used to the fact that modern technologies are actively developing. But not only science and technology are moving forward, but also such an equally important industry as the food industry. Meanwhile, very interesting things are happening in this sphere of human activity. Beetle pasta or borscht printed on a printer is exotic today, but in a few years these novelties can enter everyone's lives.

A quarter of a century ago, a two-liter plastic bottle of soda in the post-Soviet space was a curiosity and in an ordinary family it could only be seen on a festive table. A little later, instant drinks in bags came into our lives, which for many seemed like a real revelation.

Just a decade ago, the peak of the popularity of chips was marked, a pack of which could be seen in the hands of almost every child. In 2015, there was a "burgerboom", which forced to hide everything in the rolls, starting from beef and fish steaks and ending with cheese and vegan cutlets made of soy and lentils. Then it became fashionable to take children to burgers, order this food in boxes at home, and establishments offering this fast food opened on every corner.

But today we are on the verge of more ambitious changes in the field of nutrition. Scientists have already created meat in a test tube, and 3D printers have learned to print not only cakes, but also pizzas and even borscht and soups. The food industry is moving forward by leaps and bounds and several priority areas of its development have already been outlined for the coming years.

Today, many companies offer food sets made taking into account food preferences. You can buy kits for lovers of meat, fish, Asian cuisine, vegans and generally for every taste.

The finished food package contains a carefully selected complex of trace elements and an ideal balance of BCG. This food is healthy and delicious, and besides, it saves the hostess from having to stand near the stove to please all family members. You can simply order a menu for everyone and save a lot of time and effort.

In Israel, excellent meat steaks are already being printed on printers. Redefine Meat has developed a technology that allows you to completely replace a meat product with a vegetable one, but at the same time accurately imitate the structure of meat fibers.

It is still difficult to say what kind of borscht will be based on printed meat, but it is already known that the developers of food 3D printers are working on creating a completely vegetable broth that can replace meat in any dish.

So, it is quite possible that soon borscht will not be cooked, but printed. There is nothing unusual in this, and on the contrary, it is strange that having learned how to print cars and buildings, we still cannot make the most ordinary borscht on the printer.

Meat products that do not contain real meat are useful not only for the human body, but also for the environment. Scientists predict that in the near future, meat created in a test tube will become a common component of dishes in catering establishments.

Such meat has very little in common with a cow or a pig, because the product consists exclusively of animal cells grown in laboratory conditions. But it will be the real meat, so if you are a vegan, then you will have to give it up in the same way as you brought it from the farm.

Poaching is a serious problem all over the world and the governments of many countries are tightening penalties for unauthorized fishing. In parallel, everywhere, including in In Russia, the creation of farm fish farms, for example, trout farms, is welcome.

Today, almost all trout from Russian supermarkets are grown in Karelia and on the banks of the Volga in special farms, which are becoming more and more every year. There is a chance that the time will come when we will be able to completely abandon catching fish in the natural environment and satisfy our needs raised in captivity.

Companies that produce fresh frozen products are participating in a technological race, competing to see who will freeze the products faster, preserving their benefit by 100%. The fastest possible freezing is an important condition for vegetables, fruits and meat to be stored for a very long time without losing their nutritional and taste qualities.

Modern freezers help farmers to preserve their crops without losing vitamins. Scientists and designers continue to work to make this technique even more efficient and affordable for consumers.

Scientists have proved that yeast obtained by chemical means is not too useful for the human body. They contribute to the spread of the fungus in the body, so eating loaves from the store, we risk gaining excess weight and getting skin problems.

Many of us have already understood this, so you can increasingly see leaven in the homes of ordinary citizens. The preparation and storage of this useful product is fraught with some difficulties, since it is necessary to constantly maintain a certain temperature, light and feeding mode. But the products obtained at home from such ferments, and these are yoghurts, kefirs and bakery products, are always out of competition in taste and benefits for the body.

We have been scared of genetically modified products for so long that the abbreviation GMO is steadily associated with health hazards, such as oncological and hereditary diseases. But it is worth admitting that modern genetic engineering technologies are not at all the same as they were a few decades ago.

Today, it is much more useful to buy a product modified in the laboratory, under the strict supervision of experts, than "natural", farm-grown meat and vegetables stuffed with antibiotics and fertilizers. Now there are complex formulas that help to create real masterpieces for gourmets from the most ordinary products.

We are used to algae, which are offered to us as food and bioactive additives. At the same time, spirulina, well-known to everyone, can also be a full-fledged food product. If you haven't tried milk made from algae yet, it doesn't matter — in less than 10 years you will have the opportunity to do it.

For many years, scientists have been experimenting with nuts and plants, trying to get a full-fledged product from them that replaces cow's milk. Soy, almond and buckwheat are already on the shelves of stores, and by 2025, seaweed milk will also appear nearby. An important advantage of such products will be the high content of iodine — algae are not for nothing considered the record holders for the content of this chemical element, which is important for our body.

For sure, it will be unpleasant for you if, after eating a portion of spaghetti with sauce, you find out that the pasta was made from crickets. But the attitude to such dishes may change very soon, because more and more people in the world are choosing products made from insects.

Protein flour is much more useful than ordinary flour obtained from cereals, and starch made from grasshoppers is already very popular in Asian countries. However, for vegetarians, such delights are unacceptable, so it's too early to talk about the decline of the era of vegetable flour.

Molecular cuisine is not designed to saturate us. Its goal is to delight the eyes and make the meal as pleasant and unusual as possible. Edible foams, crystal streams and other culinary masterpieces are increasingly used in restaurants around the world to impress the imagination of customers.

Michelin restaurants have long used steam installations, ice generators and other sophisticated devices to create previously unseen dishes. Every year, molecular cuisine is becoming more accessible and even ordinary citizens can already buy special culinary syringes and droppers, as well as the simplest ingredients for such "witchcraft".

Speaking about the world trends in the development of nutrition, it is impossible not to tell that it will soon be fashionable to eat... nothing. Healing fasting fascinates many people today, but over time, there will be even more fans of self-purification of the body by hunger.

Fasting can be called in different ways, in honor of the developer or any food product. Eating only one apple a day, you use one method, and replacing the fruit with carrots-another one. In this case, it is very important not to overdo it and listen carefully to your body and do not neglect the recommendations of doctors.

All over the world, environmental requirements are increasingly being taken into account when developing new products and technologies. Plastic bags are gradually being withdrawn from sale, and plastic cups are being replaced with biodegradable paper ones.

The hour is not far off when edible packaging will be on sale — after using the package for its intended purpose, you can simply eat it. It is difficult to make long-term forecasts, but it is already clearly noticeable that young people are becoming more conscious about the environment, and the older generation is gradually trying to rebuild itself in order to get rid of old mistakes and start living in a new way.