Insect Utilization and Effects
A multidisciplinary review compares plant, microbial, algal, insect, fermented and cultivated proteins to assess their role in future food supply and the trade-offs that could limit it. The authors examine amino acids, digestibility, micronutrients and health effects, alongside life-cycle measures and evidence on consumer uptake. They identify tensions around processing, energy use and production scale. Taste, culture, price and aversion to unfamiliar foods also affect adoption. The proposed framework shows that no single measure can judge protein alternatives.
27 September 2026
Agriculture Sustainability and Environmental Impact
Researchers combined market-based feed formulation with consequential life cycle assessment to test four residual-biomass ingredients in diets for pigs, sows, broilers and fish. The options were bacterial protein using manure-derived methane, fungal protein using sugars from wheat straw, protein concentrate from sugar beet leaves, and black soldier fly meal produced on food waste. Bacterial protein delivered the largest environmental gains across species, reflecting its production impact, dietary inclusion level and reduction of soybean meal. Standard substitution proxies overstated climate savings by 14–38%.
10 August 2026
Enzyme-mediated dye degradation
Fusarium venenatum A3/5 used waste-relevant carbon sources in markedly different ways, affecting feedstock choices for mycoprotein production. Researchers combined microlitre cultures, optical-density calibration, UHPLC time series and Gompertz models. Glucose and sucrose enabled fast growth but produced low biomass yields and substantial ethanol. Fructose gave the highest yield, at 0.49 g/g, while lactose consumption reached only 34% after 234.5 hours. An expired functional drink produced 18.37 g/L biomass, versus 12.49 g/L for a matched synthetic control. Beverage waste was the strongest tested feedstock, but evidence covers one real waste stream.
27 September 2026