The future of nutrition in the era of the climate crisis, which affects agriculture and food security in the world as we know it, may be found in Iceland – where a futuristic facility offers spirulina (a microscopic unicellular algae), as a source of protein, iron and essential fatty acids and as a substitute for beef.
This is according to a new study by Dr. Assaf Tzhor, head of the outstanding program at the School of Sustainability at Reichman University, and his partners. The environmental and climatic advantage is clear – for every kilogram of reduction in beef in favor of blue-green algae, 100 kg of greenhouse gas emissions will be saved, 340 m 1,000 square meters of land and 1,450 liters of water.
The research, led by Dr. Tzhor and in collaboration with an international team of researchers from the University of Cambridge and the Danish Institute of Technology, analyzed a unique engineering system for the commercial production of spirulina that combines a clean and sustainable energy source and food systems that do not depend on the weather or fertile soils. The algae can be consumed In different ways: as a wet biomass, in the form of a paste, powder or pellets. For example, Icelandic spirulina powder can be incorporated into breads and pastries, or consumed in the form of a smoothie.
Since time immemorial, beef has played an important role in our diet, but beef farming involves the emission of greenhouse gases, both as a result of methane emissions in the livestock’s digestive processes and as a result of clearing forests to make room for pasture and field crops for fodder.
As the demand for cattle increases, so do the problems it causes to the environment and thus global warming worsens: extreme weather events, droughts, heat waves and floods. Tragically, extreme heat waves, which livestock contributes to their formation in the first place, cause droughts and dry crops in the world and endanger the food security of all of us. Therefore, through the agrotech and foodtech industries, humanity is looking for ways to ensure food security, and investments in the field of alternative proteins are estimated at billions of dollars.
“Algae are among the most effective food producers, and it is possible to grow them using different and varied techniques. A geothermal power plant, one of the most advanced in Europe, provides the growing facility with clean energy and water, so food production is clean and environmentally friendly,” explains Dr. Tzhor.