From a Phys.org story:
Algae is evolving as the next new alternative protein source consumers are anxious to bite into as an ingredient in crackers, snack bars, cereals and breads, according to a July 12th presentation at IFT15: Where Science Feeds Innovation hosted by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) in Chicago.
Algae, quinoa and pulses are considered by some food technologists to be the best protein sources and strong alternatives to slow meat consumption, reduce food waste and help feed the world's growing population.
Algae is a new vegan source of protein with a comparable carbon footprint to existing vegan proteins, such as rice and soy, according to Beata Klamczynska who leads food application development at Solazyme. It contains 63 percent protein, 15 percent fiber, 11 percent lipids, 4 percent carbohydrates, 4 percent micronutrients and 3 percent moisture, she said, and is easily digested and considered heart healthy. It's found in the ingredient lists of some protein shakes, crackers or bars, cereals, sauces, dressings and breads.
"Are consumers ready for algae as an ingredient? Yes, they are ready and excited about algae," she said. "The more they learn, the more excited they get. Just a little education eliminates any doubts.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by eof on Tuesday July 14 2015, @02:37PM
Compared with quinoa and legumes, algae appears to be used as a supplement, or are there any examples of a predominantly algae dish? I'm all for alternative sources of nutrition, but I might hesitate if offered a bowl of "red tide," even if assured the name was just a joke. More seriously, what fraction of a food offering must be algae to reap benefits?
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 14 2015, @05:34PM
I use seaweed (mainly nori and wakame and kombu) and agar agar quite often when I prepare food for vegan, vegetarian or jewish friends - or just feel like eating an east-asian dish.
However some of my favorite snacks are also seaweed-based (such as khun film that I prefer over crisps).
But yes - they are essentially used as vegetables (which means that if you ser them from a meat-eater's point of view they are just extras/side-orders, but if you see thdm from a vegetarians PoV they are a wonderful world of good food)
(Score: 2) by Jeremiah Cornelius on Tuesday July 14 2015, @06:17PM
I accidentally ate a vegetable last week.
I was undigested, in the stomach of the goat I was eating.
You're betting on the pantomime horse...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 14 2015, @06:31PM
(same AC)
Well, I do enjoy a good plate of pölsa [wikipedia.org] every now and then, so I can relate ;)
(Score: 1) by eof on Wednesday July 15 2015, @02:54PM
So a seaweed salad is a dish of algae. I didn't realize (or had forgotten) seaweed is a form of algae. I do eat seaweed, but not often. I'll investigate khun film.
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Tuesday July 14 2015, @06:09PM
but I might hesitate if offered a bowl of "red tide,"
Soylent Red is for the plebs. Soylent Green is where it's at!
(Score: 2) by HiThere on Tuesday July 14 2015, @08:46PM
Most things containing algae have too much salt. (Well, most prepared foods have too much salt, but things containing algae tend to be worse.)
It's as if people won't eat it without a lot of salt, sugar, or both. Oil seems to be a bit less prevalent. But look at a vegan hot dog sometime and read how much salt and fat it has. (Some of the frozen burgers are pretty decent in this respect, however.)
Javascript is what you use to allow unknown third parties to run software you have no idea about on your computer.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 14 2015, @02:46PM
Of course seaweed is already a staple of the Japanese diet.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 14 2015, @02:47PM
http://www.thecleandish.com/creamy-quinoa-thai-salad-with-peanut-butter-lime-dressing-vegan-grain-free-gluten-free/ [thecleandish.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 14 2015, @02:51PM
Doesn't even seem that much better than potato (the GI isn't that bad if you don't overbake potatoes and have it al-dente or let them cool down).
Broccoli: 2g protein out of 100g.
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2357/2 [self.com]
Potato: 3g protein out of 100g (has more vitamin C but less folate, 1g less fibre and protein).
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2770/2 [self.com]
Quinoa: 4g protein out of 100g.
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/cereal-grains-and-pasta/10352/2 [self.com]
Mungo bean: 8g
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/legumes-and-legume-products/4352/2 [self.com]
Buckwheat: 13g
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/cereal-grains-and-pasta/5681/2 [self.com]
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Tuesday July 14 2015, @03:10PM
Really? I figured he'd have had way more than 14/100g. Course he has been dead for 35 years, so I guess that could account for the loss.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Tuesday July 14 2015, @04:06PM
O' tay! :)
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. I have always been here. ---Gaaark 2.0 --
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 14 2015, @03:18PM
Oats: protein 13g/100g
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/breakfast-cereals/1597/2 [self.com]
nutrition-wise seem better than buckwheat.
Chia seeds dried: protein 16g/100g
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/nut-and-seed-products/3061/2 [self.com]
Chickpeas : 9g/100g.
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/legumes-and-legume-products/4326/2 [self.com]
Sardines: 25g/100g.
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/finfish-and-shellfish-products/4114/2 [self.com]
(Score: 2) by captain normal on Tuesday July 14 2015, @04:29PM
Quinoa has a much better marketing/press agent. It's very "in" now with Hollywierd types. It is a genus of a plant species that grows wild throughout the Americas and was used as a food source by the pre-Colombian inhabitants. It does grow well in dry climates so it could help supplement a diet in areas of marginal cultivation soils and climate. If one is looking to substitute something for meat protein, it is probably not as good as legumes and grains such as whole grain brown rice.
Because of the marketing quinoa is a very expensive option. It is selling for $7~8 a pound here in California. Last week end I picked up a couple of nice rib eye steaks to grill for $3.99 per pound.
The Musk/Trump interview appears to have been hacked, but not a DDOS hack...more like A Distributed Denial of Reality.
(Score: 2) by HiThere on Tuesday July 14 2015, @08:50PM
Yes, but when you cook the steak they lose water, but when you cook the quinoa you add water. For your comparison you should compare quinoa against beef jerky.
Javascript is what you use to allow unknown third parties to run software you have no idea about on your computer.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 15 2015, @02:47AM
The down side of whole grain brown rice is the extra arsenic you get in it.
(Score: 2, Flamebait) by Ethanol-fueled on Tuesday July 14 2015, @02:57PM
Fuck 'em. If they can't feed themselves or their children, then they should all die. We got too many goddamn people in this world. I'm not gonna give up my steaks or my charity just because third-world filth wants to breed irresponsibly and at exponential rates.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Tuesday July 14 2015, @03:06PM
I'm not giving up even one slice of bacon but they can have all the lentils and beans and algae they want, as long as I don't have to pay for it.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 14 2015, @03:53PM
I read that the price of quinoa has skyrocketed because of all the "health-concious" people in developed countries and now people in the places where it is a traditional ingredient can't afford it.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by penguinoid on Tuesday July 14 2015, @08:30PM
On the other hand, it means they can afford tons of other stuff they couldn't previously afford (both the farmers directly for growing it, and the country as a whole for exporting it).
RIP Slashdot. Killed by greedy bastards.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 14 2015, @08:44PM
Maybe if they communist.
What do you think the odds of such a situation turning out well when a desired resource is found in a poor country?
You would think it would be a great thing to find diamonds or oil.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Tuesday July 14 2015, @09:25PM
What do you think the odds of such a situation turning out well when a desired resource is found in a poor country?
Quite good actually. This isn't the days of the British Empire any more.
You would think it would be a great thing to find diamonds or oil.
And it is. The "blood diamonds" thing is just De Beers protecting its racket.
(Score: 2) by el_oscuro on Thursday July 16 2015, @01:32AM
1. Grow quinoa because it is basically a weed where you live.
2. Eat it because it is actually healthy
3. Sell the rest at the skyrocketed price
4. ???
5. Profit!!!
SoylentNews is Bacon! [nueskes.com]
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 14 2015, @03:26PM
Thats the thing, supply and demand will push up the prices until only the rich can afford it. You think you are the rich now, but you wont be later. :)
(Score: 2, Troll) by ikanreed on Tuesday July 14 2015, @03:26PM
Is there any way we can move Ethenol-fueled to the stop of the starving-to-death pile?
Not as a punishment for his lack of empathy, but because, seriously, what the fuck has that guy ever done?
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Freeman on Tuesday July 14 2015, @03:37PM
Sure, just as soon as we can put you next in line. Seriously, why would you want to treat another human that way?
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 2) by ikanreed on Tuesday July 14 2015, @03:56PM
Because Ethanol-fueled in particular is a racist piece of trash, who, to my knowledge, has only contributed negatively to our world.
I mean, he's not fucking Hitler, but he seems like he might want to be.
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Tuesday July 14 2015, @04:09PM
Ya gots to blame the payrents, chil'! He's a vittim of societay!
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. I have always been here. ---Gaaark 2.0 --
(Score: 3, Informative) by zugedneb on Tuesday July 14 2015, @04:13PM
you are not the sharpest knife in the drawer, are you?
old saying: "a troll is a window into the soul of humanity" + also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Ajax
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Tuesday July 14 2015, @04:17PM
I think you overestimate his desire to cause untold misery to others. Assuming Ethanol-Fueled became the new supreme dictator, I don't know that he would be the worst dictator. Though, I could see him legalizing Marijuanna, because why shouldn't people be able to make their own choices? It takes a special kind of sociopath/psychopath to kill millions of people. I just don't see that in Ethanol-Fueled. Perhaps I am wrong, but I doubt it.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 14 2015, @10:04PM
> It takes a special kind of sociopath/psychopath to kill millions of people. I just don't see that in Ethanol-Fueled.
Hell, his post-St. Patrick's Day farts could kill that many at one time.
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Tuesday July 14 2015, @06:11PM
Not as a punishment for his lack of empathy, but because, seriously, what the fuck has that guy ever done?
Pretty sure he's had about 6 kids. It takes a healthy dose of hypocrisy to really keep that edge.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by goodie on Tuesday July 14 2015, @03:01PM
There's a lot of hype surrounding those ingredients these days. I don't know why quinoa is sold and marketed as a freakin' miracle food when its protein content is not that great compared to a lot of other things we have had for centuries (e.g., lentils, some beans etc.). Honestly instead of importing it from across the world (in some cases) we should look toward eatin what we can grow locally. Same with algae. A lot of Asian cuisines use them already as side dishes, in soups etc. (Korean, Japanese etc.). Would you be able to grow huge amounts in a sustainable manner and justify it as a good source of protein and other nutrients? I'm not so sure but only time will tell! oh well, soon enough chia will get there, for now it's mostly found in organic stores in North America...
(Score: 3, Interesting) by VLM on Tuesday July 14 2015, @03:17PM
compared to a lot of other things we have had for centuries
Taste. You can get people to eat "weird looking flavorless rice like thing" but a diet of straight up refried beans is just gross. I guess could tolerate lots of peanut butter.
Also run into the complete protein thing. Yes raw grams of protein can be higher for other things, just the wrong ratios for humans.
I'm not a big carb eater but I tried some quinoa and its not really all that bad as far as rice like stuff goes. Throw some meat in sauce on a plate of it, not bad.
There's also the noble savage thing going on where only two classes of people in the world eat quinoa, dirt poor people in Peru and upper east side new yorker limousine liberal types and their hippie followers. If poor people in Bangladesh ate dog poop the same local demographic would worship it and sell it for $10/pound in health food stores. For poor people food its moderately tasty, which helps.
(Score: 2) by Thexalon on Tuesday July 14 2015, @03:38PM
The crowd of people trying to avoid wheat gluten (whether wisely or not remains to be seen) also are going for quinoa in a big way. Of course, rice and millet work at least as well for most of the same purposes, and I agree that quinoa is probably overused.
As far as how to cook beans so they're tasty, there are lots of recipes from Mexican, Ethiopian, Indian, and Middle Eastern cuisine. If you only have beans refried, you're missing out.
"Think of how stupid the average person is. Then realize half of 'em are stupider than that." - George Carlin
(Score: 3, Funny) by Gaaark on Tuesday July 14 2015, @04:12PM
Tooting your own horn? :)
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. I have always been here. ---Gaaark 2.0 --
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Phoenix666 on Tuesday July 14 2015, @04:14PM
Superfood hype and limo liberals on the Upper East Side of Manhattan are annoying, for sure. On the other hand, without them you can guarantee that you'd never see such things as quinoa and chia in regular supermarkets, because little people don't matter.
There are also the vegan organic super hippies reviving beekeeping and raw milk and such. The most tedious food conversation I ever had was with a colleague of my wife's who insisted that all peanut butter was going to make you grow three heads or enslave masses of people unless it came from a specific mountain valley in Peru. On the other hand, once I tasted an organically grown heirloom tomato from a farmer's market populated by such people I never wanted to go back to even vine-ripened tomatoes bought from the supermarket. It's orders of magnitude more fabulous.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 14 2015, @06:56PM
Raw milk is still around if you know the right people (But in the US due to FDA regulations can't be legally sold, so it is in the same realm as moonshine.)
Beekeeping and honey have remained popular since forever, although corn syrup and refined sugar replaced demand for it as a general purpose sweetener (Since it is higher glycemic index than either, and having its flavor based on the plants bees visited.) In fact where I am, the local beekeepers were celebrating their 60th anniversary a year or two ago. That predates hippies by quite a few years.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Phoenix666 on Tuesday July 14 2015, @03:23PM
My wife has a thing for superfoods so we try them a lot. Quinoa, kale, etc. I grew up eating meatloaf, tuna casserole, your basic meat & potatoes diet. Steak is my favorite food. But I find I quite like the superfoods. It's not a sacrifice on taste or satisfaction at all. Quinoa is an easy substitute for pasta in a pasta salad and has a great crunchy texture like al dente farfalle or orzo. Kale is ridiculously good. Who'da thunk? Chop it up with minced onions, olive oil, lime juice, salt, and a little sugar and it's an excellent salad. Toss it with olive oil and salt and put it in the food dehydrator and you get chips you can't stop eating. The latest discovery is chia. Yes, the same stuff Americans paste on terra cotta shapes and grow green shoots as a decoration. It makes a great dessert reminiscent of tapioca. You put 1/2 cup mixed with 1-1 1/2 cups of milk, tsp of vanilla, and sweeten to taste and it makes a pudding with velvety texture. You feel great after eating it, too.
I have been trying to cultivate spirulina as another superfood as well, because it is a complete food and you can theoretically do it in a small volume. But I gotta say I cannot get the stuff to really take off and the online resources to help you troubleshoot are thin or non-existent.
It's been an interesting journey to go from eating thousands of empty calories in the form of potatoes and starch to smaller portions of highly nutritious stuff that you feel better after eating. It's a different mindset. You don't realize how ingrained your food choices are until you change them.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 2) by goodie on Tuesday July 14 2015, @03:50PM
I think that there is definitely an issue with empty calories in foods, especially in North America. The other day, I was in France and watched a documentary where they compared some organic crops with "equivalent" GMO, intensive crops (e.g., tomatoes). When they were analyzing the nutrients in the foods, they realized that there was so much more in the organic version that it would take them a lot less to feed somebody. It's all about portioning and getting foods that leave you full (but not gross!) for a long time. From personal experience, I'd say that it's much easier to achieve in Europe than North America simply because there tends to be more choice and alternatives to the meat/potato combo (no matter how good that can taste).
We eat quinoa once in a while. I am personally not a huge fan of the taste (too nutty?) but my wife loves it and basically wants that instead of wheat semolina that we usually put in couscous, tabouleh etc. It's versatile for sure (we make quiche with it for example, I have friends who make pancakes with quinoa flour as well). Kale I can't do but I'm no veggie lover to begin with. My wife uses is a lot in smoothies instead of spinach. Kale chips are good, but then again, so is fried nori ;).
My argument is that it's perhaps one of the many things we can use in cooking, in moderation like everything else. Marketing hype touts it as the best thing in the world (restaurant menus as well...) but originally, like someone else pointed, it wasn't what it was destined for.
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Tuesday July 14 2015, @04:43PM
I liken it to eating out in NYC. For $8 I can get a Big Mac meal at McDonald's that will make me feel sick and instantly make me weigh 5 lbs more. Or, I can spend the same money to eat nutritious food from nearly any food culture in the world, expertly prepared.
Same thing with cooking. You can subsist off a diet of hot dogs and prepared food, but in the end it will cost you more and make you feel worse than making your own. Prep time is not a deciding factor either because there are many very healthy meals you can eat by throwing a handful of this and a dash of that together.
The difference is choosing ingredients that have flavor. Who in their right mind wants to eat the flavorless mush that is frozen spinach? Well, the manufacturers of frozen spinach want you to. But real people would choose real spinach grilled on the pan for 5 minutes with a crushed clove of garlic, every time. You can cook squash picked weeks and weeks before it is ripe to get to market without rotting and have it taste like exactly nothing, or you can grow your own or get it from a local greenmarket when it was picked, ripe, and have a taste explosion that makes you say, "Holy crap! I had no idea."
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 14 2015, @03:54PM
eating thousands of empty calories in the form of potatoes
Empty calories? Potatoes have more vitamin C than apples. Potatoes are more nutritious than popular cereals like wheat and rice: http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2770/2 [self.com]
Not really that inferior to quinoa: http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/cereal-grains-and-pasta/10352/2 [self.com]
Which is probably why many more survived with potatoes as a staple (till stuff like the great potato blight).
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-the-potato-changed-the-world-108470605/?no-ist [smithsonianmag.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 14 2015, @03:57PM
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Tuesday July 14 2015, @04:09PM
Kale is special in it's own unique way and I let my family eat it. I eat it, if it's chopped fine like shredded lettuce and there's not a whole lot of it. It probably reminds me too much of seaweed. Which I also avoid eating as much as possible, but sometimes I "Get to go to a Sushi place" to eat. Red Bean Paste isn't that edible either, but I know some that love it. To each their own.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Tuesday July 14 2015, @04:58PM
I find kale is in many ways analogous to collard greens, which many are familiar with if they like Southern comfort food. It's a green that strangely and satisfyingly has texture. You can sink your teeth into it. Prepared differently, as you have described, it can be light like cabbage sprinkled over a salad of greens at a salad bar. Or dehydrated, you can eat it like the most sinful snack while watching Marvel-inspired movies or sports (if you happen to be one of those), and not feel empty and used at the end.
Me, I come from a Scottish heritage and have a genetically received reverence for parsimony, that is, killing many birds with one stone. Kale is such a thing.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 1) by TheMessageNotTheMessenger on Tuesday July 14 2015, @05:02PM
I think you kinda get it.
You can have your superfoods AND have your steak.
Hello! :D
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Tuesday July 14 2015, @06:15PM
My wife has a thing for superfoods so we try them a lot. Quinoa, kale, etc. I grew up eating meatloaf, tuna casserole, your basic meat & potatoes diet. Steak is my favorite food.
Steak is actually pretty good for you so long as you don't over-consume (like everything). High in protein, low in calories. Have a 4oz pc of steak with some kale and quinoa and you are good to go.
(Score: 1) by islisis on Tuesday July 14 2015, @03:28PM
Microalgae does appear to be an efficient crop although the market is in its infancy
http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Markets/Could-algae-be-the-next-big-thing-in-the-protein-market-Part-two-Aurora-Algae [foodnavigator-usa.com]
There does not seem to have been a lot of community experimentation with recipes, and the blue-green algae powders currently sold are tremendously expensive. It's possible we will see 'proprietory' strains introduced in the future. Only certain species reach the ~60% protein content quoted in the summary, seaweed like nori used in sushi is closer to 5%.
It would have been nice to see a source for this presentation to understand the proposed sources of future algae based protein.
(Score: 3, Touché) by takyon on Tuesday July 14 2015, @03:43PM
Quinoa is a nice grain. It's just the victim (or beneficiary) of superfood hype.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 5, Informative) by datapharmer on Tuesday July 14 2015, @06:20PM
It isn't volume of protein, it is because quinoa is a complete protein: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complete_protein [wikipedia.org] which is rare for plants.
It is also low in gluten, high in fiber and contains a number of metals that our body needs in small quantities.
(Score: 2) by Rich on Tuesday July 14 2015, @05:29PM
... is Soy and Lentils, of course!
And on Sundays, we'll have the good green stuff :)