Alternative Proteins

The Hawke’s Bay Branch of the Royal Society and the Hawke’s Bay Branch of New Zealand Institute of Food Science & Technology are jointly hosting a group of scientists from Plant & Food Research in Palmerston North, to talk about their research into the pros and cons of alternative proteins.

Many people are choosing to eat less meat, and more plant proteins. As well as beans and peas, there’s growing interest in hemp protein, protein from pasture and seaweed. A lot of work is being done on insect bioconversion of waste as a sustainable source of proteins for animal and fish foods.

In this lecture, Lee and her team will talk about the environmental and nutritional pros and cons of proteins from pasture versus proteins from plants, insects and seaweed. They’ll also mention the wide-ranging definition of a “superfood”.