Food Technology and Plant-Based Diets

Gibney disdusses plant-based diets and food technology. In the 1970s, the possibility was raised that global demands for protein would fall below the supply, and thus the concept of the "protein gap" evolved. This controversial theory prompted a search for new protein sources, and from this emerged a fungal protein, Fusarium venenatum, a mycoprotein that could be spun into many shapes and processed to have a texture similar to that of meat. Although the concept of a protein gap rapidly faded, this new protein entered the retail market.