Vil du lære mer?
Nedenfor finner du et program som er laget for å få deg "up to speed" med de viktigste teknologiene for matrevolusjonen. Programmet er ment til å gå over 8 uker med rundt 2 timer lesing hver uke.
Vi fasiliterer også gruppediskusjoner hvor man er en gruppe som går gjennom programmet sammen, og har et ukentlig møte for å diskutere det man har lest om med andre. Dette kan du bli med på under "SØK VERV" siden
Nedenfor finner du et program som er laget for å få deg "up to speed" med de viktigste teknologiene for matrevolusjonen. Programmet er ment til å gå over 8 uker med rundt 2 timer lesing hver uke.
Vi fasiliterer også gruppediskusjoner hvor man er en gruppe som går gjennom programmet sammen, og har et ukentlig møte for å diskutere det man har lest om med andre. Dette kan du bli med på under "SØK VERV" siden
Week 1: Motivating the case for alternative proteins
Industrial animal agriculture lies at the intersection of some of the most pressing issues in the world today: climate change, zoonotic pandemics, antibiotic resistance, food insecurity, biodiversity loss and animal suffering on an extraordinary scale.
Although vegetarianism and veganism are becoming more mainstream, global demand for meat continues to rise. One way to induce mass changes in consumer behaviour is the provision of better alternatives.
This session is about exploring the dominant arguments in favour of reducing traditional meat consumption and introducing the three main pillars of alternative proteins: plant-based, fermentation and cultivated meat technologies. You are encouraged to consider the issues with factory farming and draw your own conclusions as to the extent to which alternative proteins would be an impactful way to mitigate each of these.
Week 2: Plant-based Meat
When attempting to create alternatives to animal-farmed meat, it makes sense to first define what we mean by ‘meat’. Do we break it down to the molecular level and examine the composition of proteins, fats and minerals? Do we need to build animal cells and tissues? Does it matter so long as it closely mimics the organoleptic properties (taste, texture, colour and aroma) of animal-farmed meat?
This session encourages you to rethink meat and how we are able to generate a similar sensory experience using plants. It also shows that, despite recent large advances in plant-based meat technology, we have barely scratched the surface in terms of the potential for crop, texturisation and nutrition optimisation to improve plant-based products.
Week 3: Fermentation
Microbes have long been a part of food production. Whether in the brewing of beer or the leavening of bread, yeast has been part of our food system for millennia. More recently, production of rennet (used to coagulate milk in cheesemaking) has been achieved by inserting the chymosin gene into yeast, so we no longer need to harvest this protein from the stomach lining of young calves.
This session aims to introduce you to fermentation for alternative protein applications and highlight the immense potential for microbes in this field. We cover traditional fermentation, biomass fermentation and precision fermentation and the relative roles that they can each play in replacing proteins from animals.
Week 4: Cultivated Meat
What if, rather than trying to mimic meat using plants and microbes, we could produce actual animal muscle and fat without having to raise and slaughter the whole animal? Advances in stem cell technology have given rise to just this: cultivated meat (sometimes referred to as cultured, clean or lab-grown meat).
This session introduces the basics of cultivated meat - genuine animal meat that can replicate the sensory and nutritional profile of conventionally produced meat because it’s comprised of the same cell types arranged in the same three-dimensional structure as animal muscle tissue. What are the main components of cultivated meat production and when might we see it on our plates?
Week 5: Non-meat applications of alternative proteins
Intensive animal agriculture doesn’t just supply the meat industry. A range of products, including seafood, dairy and textiles rely on this too. If we are to achieve the goal of ending factory farming, alternatives need to be produced in these areas as well.
This session aims to provide some context on the applications of alt. proteins aside from meat. Over the past three weeks, you’ve learned a bit about how plant-based, fermentation and cultivation technologies work - now take the time to consider how these technologies have the potential to disrupt other major industries.
Week 6: What are the main technical challenges?
In September 2021, an article was published in The Counter which caused a stir in the alt. protein community. It strongly questioned the feasibility of cultivated meat at scale. This conclusion is rooted in a Techno-Economic Analysis (TEA) commissioned by Open Philanthropy to assess the scale-up economics of cultivated meat. Separately, a TEA commissioned by GFI has indicated that cost-competitive cultivated meat is possible. We must also remember that there is inherent uncertainty built into predictions made by TEAs - they make calculations grounded in currently existing technologies and thus cannot account for radical technological innovation.
These are important conversations to be having. Is it worth pursuing the innovation necessary to scale up cultivated meat if the potential upside is high enough? The purpose of this session is for you to read the discourse around the scale-up of cultivated meat and come to your own conclusions.
One thing that both sides agree on is that the TEA identifies a number of key technological bottlenecks currently preventing the scale-up of cultivated meat. This session also encourages you to browse GFI’s database of key bottlenecks across the alt. protein space, including plant-based and fermentation, and to identify the areas most applicable to you.
Week 7: What are the social and political challenges?
When discussing the science behind alternative proteins, we sometimes lose sight of the significant cultural role that food plays in people’s lives. Is it more than just a case of “if we build it, they will come”? Other than flavour and cost, what factors will play a role in consumer uptake of alternative proteins? Where might alternative proteins sit within religious or other cultural dietary practices?
As well as consumers, meat has a huge impact on the lives of the millions of people that produce it. If the alt-protein sector were to replace factory farming, would it be able to absorb the same workforce? What new skills might be needed and how could this transition be handled in a way that benefits the most people across all demographics?
The aim of this session is to get you thinking beyond the technological practicalities of alternative proteins and to consider meat’s place in society more broadly. You will examine the socio-political and regulatory hurdles involved, as well as considering the parallels with another major food technology, GMOs, and the lessons we can learn from that industry.
Week 8: What does the alternative protein industry currently look like, and what opportunities are there?
Now that you know the basics of alternative proteins, what are the opportunities for you in this space? Could you join an alt. protein company, or even start your own? Could you direct your research towards this field or start an Alt. Protein Society at your own institution? Might you want to work in alt. protein policy and regulation?
This session encourages you to consider the most exciting and impactful things you could be doing in the alt. protein space. Through these resources and the careers fair we aim to show examples of people who have gone and done just that, as well as providing opportunities for you to do the same. Crucially, this field is still incredibly nascent and so there is enormous potential to make a huge impact however you see fit.
The reading and discussion sessions for this week will be less structured than previous weeks and more tailored around your individual interests. Please feel free to explore the resources that most interest you, have a think about your Capstone Project and future career options.
Industrial animal agriculture lies at the intersection of some of the most pressing issues in the world today: climate change, zoonotic pandemics, antibiotic resistance, food insecurity, biodiversity loss and animal suffering on an extraordinary scale.
Although vegetarianism and veganism are becoming more mainstream, global demand for meat continues to rise. One way to induce mass changes in consumer behaviour is the provision of better alternatives.
This session is about exploring the dominant arguments in favour of reducing traditional meat consumption and introducing the three main pillars of alternative proteins: plant-based, fermentation and cultivated meat technologies. You are encouraged to consider the issues with factory farming and draw your own conclusions as to the extent to which alternative proteins would be an impactful way to mitigate each of these.
Week 2: Plant-based Meat
When attempting to create alternatives to animal-farmed meat, it makes sense to first define what we mean by ‘meat’. Do we break it down to the molecular level and examine the composition of proteins, fats and minerals? Do we need to build animal cells and tissues? Does it matter so long as it closely mimics the organoleptic properties (taste, texture, colour and aroma) of animal-farmed meat?
This session encourages you to rethink meat and how we are able to generate a similar sensory experience using plants. It also shows that, despite recent large advances in plant-based meat technology, we have barely scratched the surface in terms of the potential for crop, texturisation and nutrition optimisation to improve plant-based products.
Week 3: Fermentation
Microbes have long been a part of food production. Whether in the brewing of beer or the leavening of bread, yeast has been part of our food system for millennia. More recently, production of rennet (used to coagulate milk in cheesemaking) has been achieved by inserting the chymosin gene into yeast, so we no longer need to harvest this protein from the stomach lining of young calves.
This session aims to introduce you to fermentation for alternative protein applications and highlight the immense potential for microbes in this field. We cover traditional fermentation, biomass fermentation and precision fermentation and the relative roles that they can each play in replacing proteins from animals.
Week 4: Cultivated Meat
What if, rather than trying to mimic meat using plants and microbes, we could produce actual animal muscle and fat without having to raise and slaughter the whole animal? Advances in stem cell technology have given rise to just this: cultivated meat (sometimes referred to as cultured, clean or lab-grown meat).
This session introduces the basics of cultivated meat - genuine animal meat that can replicate the sensory and nutritional profile of conventionally produced meat because it’s comprised of the same cell types arranged in the same three-dimensional structure as animal muscle tissue. What are the main components of cultivated meat production and when might we see it on our plates?
Week 5: Non-meat applications of alternative proteins
Intensive animal agriculture doesn’t just supply the meat industry. A range of products, including seafood, dairy and textiles rely on this too. If we are to achieve the goal of ending factory farming, alternatives need to be produced in these areas as well.
This session aims to provide some context on the applications of alt. proteins aside from meat. Over the past three weeks, you’ve learned a bit about how plant-based, fermentation and cultivation technologies work - now take the time to consider how these technologies have the potential to disrupt other major industries.
Week 6: What are the main technical challenges?
In September 2021, an article was published in The Counter which caused a stir in the alt. protein community. It strongly questioned the feasibility of cultivated meat at scale. This conclusion is rooted in a Techno-Economic Analysis (TEA) commissioned by Open Philanthropy to assess the scale-up economics of cultivated meat. Separately, a TEA commissioned by GFI has indicated that cost-competitive cultivated meat is possible. We must also remember that there is inherent uncertainty built into predictions made by TEAs - they make calculations grounded in currently existing technologies and thus cannot account for radical technological innovation.
These are important conversations to be having. Is it worth pursuing the innovation necessary to scale up cultivated meat if the potential upside is high enough? The purpose of this session is for you to read the discourse around the scale-up of cultivated meat and come to your own conclusions.
One thing that both sides agree on is that the TEA identifies a number of key technological bottlenecks currently preventing the scale-up of cultivated meat. This session also encourages you to browse GFI’s database of key bottlenecks across the alt. protein space, including plant-based and fermentation, and to identify the areas most applicable to you.
Week 7: What are the social and political challenges?
When discussing the science behind alternative proteins, we sometimes lose sight of the significant cultural role that food plays in people’s lives. Is it more than just a case of “if we build it, they will come”? Other than flavour and cost, what factors will play a role in consumer uptake of alternative proteins? Where might alternative proteins sit within religious or other cultural dietary practices?
As well as consumers, meat has a huge impact on the lives of the millions of people that produce it. If the alt-protein sector were to replace factory farming, would it be able to absorb the same workforce? What new skills might be needed and how could this transition be handled in a way that benefits the most people across all demographics?
The aim of this session is to get you thinking beyond the technological practicalities of alternative proteins and to consider meat’s place in society more broadly. You will examine the socio-political and regulatory hurdles involved, as well as considering the parallels with another major food technology, GMOs, and the lessons we can learn from that industry.
Week 8: What does the alternative protein industry currently look like, and what opportunities are there?
Now that you know the basics of alternative proteins, what are the opportunities for you in this space? Could you join an alt. protein company, or even start your own? Could you direct your research towards this field or start an Alt. Protein Society at your own institution? Might you want to work in alt. protein policy and regulation?
This session encourages you to consider the most exciting and impactful things you could be doing in the alt. protein space. Through these resources and the careers fair we aim to show examples of people who have gone and done just that, as well as providing opportunities for you to do the same. Crucially, this field is still incredibly nascent and so there is enormous potential to make a huge impact however you see fit.
The reading and discussion sessions for this week will be less structured than previous weeks and more tailored around your individual interests. Please feel free to explore the resources that most interest you, have a think about your Capstone Project and future career options.
Kontakt oss
mail:
altprot.ntnu@gmail.com
telefon:
+47 475 06 749 (Helene Christiansen, nestleder)
altprot.ntnu@gmail.com
telefon:
+47 475 06 749 (Helene Christiansen, nestleder)
