Protein: Where will you get yours from? Algae or quinoa?

By 17. July 2015Blog, Health, Nutrition, Taste

In the second part of our blog about protein sources presented at the IFT15: Where Science Feeds Innovation hosted by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) in Chicago, we talk about algae and other alternative sources of plant protein.

According to Beata Klamczynska of the company Solazyme, algae, it would seem, is growing in popularity as a component of protein shakes, crackers, cereals, sauces, dressings and breads. It has a carbon footprint similar to rice and soy.

And then there’s Quinoa, the poor man’s crop from the Andies. It too is growing in popularity according to Laurie Scanlin, a co-author of a book entitled  “Sustainable Protein Sources”.

Quinoa is a pseudo cereal that has a high level of protein that has found its way into many products recently. But it is so easy to prepare before searching for products that contain it I would recommend buying a bag and trying it as a side dish instead of rice or put it into a salad in place of bulgur wheat or couscous.

While we are on the subject of pseudo cereals, what about Amaranth? Both amaranth and quinoa are from the Amaranthaceae family and both are good sources of protein. Its flavour is a bit more “earthy” so I wouldn’t overdo it but it is also increasing finding its way into various foods.

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