Ep. 03: The Power of Plant-Protein

enOctober 01, 2019

Feeding 10 Billion

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What was the main topic of the podcast episode?

Summarise the key points discussed in the episode?

Were there any notable quotes or insights from the speakers?

Which popular books were mentioned in this episode?

Were there any points particularly controversial or thought-provoking discussed in the episode?

Were any current events or trending topics addressed in the episode?

About this Episode

The world agrees we need to eat less meat and eat more plants if we want to save the planet from disastrous climate crises. But that’s easier said than done. In fact, our meat consumption is only set to rise. It was the highest in the U.S. this past year at 100 kilos per capita and by 2030, continents like Africa and Asia Pacific will see tremendous growth in the appetite for protein. But it doesn’t have to come from animal sources. Companies like Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods as well as JUST are paving the way for meat made from plants, that taste, smell and even bleed like meat. And in India, companies like Good Dot and Only Great Foods / Supplant are pioneering the plant-based protein space. In this episode of The Power of Plant Protein, we talk to Abhishek Sinha of Good Dot and Chirag Sabunani of Only Great Foods to find out how they are growing the plant-based foods eco-system in India and approaching it from the polar opposite perspectives of an animal lover and a meat eater!.

ORGANIZATIONS, INSTITUTES AND CELL-BASED MEAT COMPANIES MENTIONED:

Impossible Foods : Impossible Foods is an American company headquartered in California that makes plant-based meat substitutes. Made from a blend of soy and potato protein, their meat’s characteristic flavour comes from soy leghemoglobin, which makes their burgers cook, taste, smell and bleed like real beef. Impossible Foods have recently partnered with fast food companies in the US, including Burger King and White Castle, to offer the Impossible Burger to consumers all over the country. In September 2019, they partnered with grocery chains to sell a raw version of their ground beef in select stores in Southern California. Learn more here.
Beyond Meat : Beyond Meat’s mission is to engineer the future of protein by moving beyond traditional and antiquated animal agriculture to create meat made from plants. In doing so, they aim to address climate change, food security, animal welfare and human health. Their plant-based burgers, crumbles and sausages are made primarily from pea protein. After going public in May 2019, Beyond had one of the year’s best IPOs, with a post-IPO surge of over 700 percent. McDonald’s recently started offering a “PLT” (plant, lettuce and tomato) burger made with Beyond Meat patties in Canada, the first significant step the fast food giant has taken towards offering more plant-based options on its menu. Learn more here and here.
JUST : JUST is an American company based in California that makes plant-based mayonnaise (and mayonnaise-based salad dressings) and eggs, made from yellow split peas and mung beans, respectively. Their products are retailed across the US in grocery stores such as Whole Foods and Walmart. They can also be found on menus in US-based chains Bareburger, Veggie Grill and Silver Diner as well as Canadian chain Tim Horton’s. They recently sold their 10 millionth egg. Learn more here.
Good Dot : Good Dot is an Indian company manufacturing plant-based meat products that appeal to both vegetarians and non-vegetarians. They use food technology to produce meat that is good for all — the animals, the planet and human health. Their CEO, Abhishek Sinha, a devoted animal lover, was a former Deputy Commissioner of Income tax before he quit to oversee Good Dot’s R&D and manufacturing. Their products include Veg Bytz, Proteiz and Proteiz Plus. They recently rolled out their QSR initiative called GoodDo in major cities across India. Learn more here.
Only Great Foods: Only Great Foods is a research, development and manufacturing firm that develops ingredients for gluten-free bakery with its primary customers in the US and Canada. Given Chirag Sabunani's passion to feed the world in better ways, and the movement of R&D heads from gluten-free towards 'plant-based' companies over the last year, Only Great Foods launched a sister entity, Supplant Foods, with a focus on developing and producing vegan ingredients for the ready-snacks and 'plant-based' sector. The new firm has a range of hydrocolloids specifically designed for the 'plant-based' industry, is now starting production of its patent-pending flavorless and functional chickpea flour, and is in the final stages of developing flavorless functional proteins from inexpensive and abundant feedstocks. The goal: supply these ingredients to plant-based companies in the West and help them improve quality while lowering costs AND eventually develop a range of plant-based eggs, dairy and meat for us in India!

SCIENTIFIC DEFINITIONS:

Plant- based meat: Plant-based food refers to meat, eggs and dairy made from plants. They use a bio-mimicry approach to replicate the taste and texture of meat while some plant-forward products like seitan, tofu and tempeh, serve as functional meat replacements. Although not biologically classified as plants, fungi and algae based products are also included in plant-based foods.

Hydrocolloids: A hydrocolloid is any substance that forms a gel in the presence of water. In food, hydrocolloids are functional carbohydrates used in foods to enhance their shelf-life and quality. These additives are used to modify the viscosity and texture of food products like ice cream, salad dressings, gravies, processed meats, and beverages. Some examples of hydrocolloids used in food include xanthan gum, gum arabic and agar. Learn more here.

ADDITIONAL READING AND RESOURCES:

Think fake burgers are just for vegetarians? 95% of Impossible’s customers are meat-eaters. Read more here.
Watch Bruce Friedrich, Executive Director of The Good Food Institute, throw away eight plates of pasta to explain how market forces and food technology will save the world here.
If you’d like to learn more about what consumers think of plant-based and cultured meat — including how open they are to trying them — check out this report by Frontiers Journal here.
Still not convinced plant-based meat tastes like the real thing? Here’s an article by two beef farmers on how realistic Burger King’s Impossible Whopper really is.
Want to learn more about the rapidly evolving plant-based and cultured meat industries? Check out the Good Food Institutes State of the Industry reports here.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Recent Episodes from Feeding 10 Billion

Kate Krueger on Cultivating a Better Protein Supply

Cultivated meat brings to mind different associations for everyone, but one thing is clear: it isn’t science fiction anymore. It’s here, it’s now. At the close of 2020, after a year ravaged by one of the worst zoonotic disease outbreaks we’ve ever seen, Singapore became the first country in the world to approve the commercial sale of cultivated chicken bites. But we still have a long way to go when it comes to increasing investment in R&D and driving down the cost of producing cultivated meat.
Luckily, competitions like the XPRIZE Feed the Next Billion are designed to do exactly that. If you’ve been listening to previous episodes, you will recall that the prize offers $15 million to finalists who come up with innovative solutions to combat challenges within the smart protein ecosystem..

To go a step beyond and understand what exactly we need from a technological standpoint when it comes to building a viable future for cultivated meat, our host, Varun Deshpande, sits down with Dr. Kate Krueger. The founder of Helikon Consulting and a technical expert for XPRIZE, Kate tells us about her pioneering work around advancing cellular agriculture, making smart protein accessible — particularly in the developing world — and her hopes for the impact that the XPRIZE’s diverse participants can have on our food systems.

Resources for further reading:

XPRIZE Feed the Next Billion and the competition’s semifinalists

(https://www.xprize.org/prizes/feedthenextbillion)

(https://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Article/2021/07/14/XPRIZE-unveils-semi-finalists-in-15m-global-Feed-the-Next-Billion-competition)

Eat Just’s mission to serve up cultivated chicken in Singapore

(https://thespoon.tech/eat-just-makes-the-worlds-first-sale-of-cultured-meat/)

The science behind cultivated meat and the impact it has on the environment

(https://gfi.org/science/the-science-of-cultivated-meat/#:~:text=Cultivated%20meat%2C%20also%20known%20as,and%20farm%20animals%20for%20food.)

(https://www.greenqueen.com.hk/cultivated-meat-has-92-lower-climate-impact-will-reach-price-parity-by-2030-says-new-research/)

McKinsey’s report on cultivated meat, highlighting consumer insights and industry concerns

(https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/agriculture/our-insights/cultivated-meat-out-of-the-lab-into-the-frying-pan)

Follow Kate:

Twitter: twitter.com/KateKruegerPhD

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ktkrueger

You can connect with Varun Deshpande:

LinkedIn | Twitter

Find GFI on Social Media:

You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: IVM Podcasts - Apps on Google Play or iOS: ‎IVM Podcasts, or any other podcast app.

You can check out our website at https://shows.ivmpodcasts.com/featured

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

enDecember 14, 2021

Bernhard Kowatsch on Transformative Food Innovation

When we think of the future of food, transformative technology, or game-changing innovations, we assume that advancements will arise out of traditional tech hubs in the Global North. This isn’t necessarily true. The Global South holds tremendous potential and competitions like the XPRIZE Feed the Next Billion — discussed in the previous episode — are proving exactly that. With multiple semi-finalists from APAC and South Asia, it’s clear that innovative solutions can come from anyone, anywhere..

In this episode of Feeding 10 Billion, we’re joined by Bernhard Kowatsch, who champions this notion through his work at the Innovation Accelerator at the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). As head of the accelerator, Bernhard is on a mission to identify, support, and scale startups working towards eradicating hunger and his work is closely aligned with our Mission for Smart Protein. Join our host, Varun Deshpande, and listen to Bernhard deftly join the dots between climate change, poverty, hunger, and nutrition.

Resources for further reading:

The World Food Programme’s Nobel Peace Prize: What does hunger have to do with peace?

(https://www.wfp.org/nobel-laureate#:~:text=This%20year%2C%20WFP%20was%20awarded,as%20a%20weapon%20of%20war%22.)

XPRIZE Feed the Next Billion and the competition’s semifinalists

(https://www.xprize.org/prizes/feedthenextbillion)

(https://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Article/2021/07/14/XPRIZE-unveils-semi-finalists-in-15m-global-Feed-the-Next-Billion-competition)

The importance of innovation in fighting world hunger

(https://innovation.wfp.org/blog/forbes-how-innovation-helping-fight-global-hunger)

How innovation can emerge from resource-constrained markets

(https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/21420357/kenya-mobile-banking-unbanked-cellphone-money)

How smart protein can create leapfrog economics

(https://www.forbes.com/sites/charlesrtaylor/2019/08/29/one-womans-quest-to-help-africa-leapfrog-to-plant-based-foods/?sh=622b67634fc4)

Find Bernard on Social Media:

Twitter: twitter.com/bkowatsch

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/bernhardkowatsch

Instagram: instagram.com/bernhardkowatsch

You can connect with Varun Deshpande:

LinkedIn | Twitter

Find GFI on Social Media:

You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: IVM Podcasts - Apps on Google Play or iOS: ‎IVM Podcasts, or any other podcast app.

You can check out our website at https://shows.ivmpodcasts.com/featured

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

enDecember 14, 2021

Lisa Sweet on Future-Proofing Food Systems

We have a long way to go when it comes to fixing our food systems. That’s why challenges like the XPRIZE Feed the Next Billion competition exist. With a $15 million prize — and the chance to safeguard planetary health — on the table, the competition’s innovative solutions are aimed at meeting the growing global demand for protein in a just, sustainable way.

And this episode’s guest, Lisa Sweet, is a driving force behind the challenge, paving the way for the future of food. In conversation with our host, Varun Deshpande, Lisa lays out what it will take to feed 10 billion and how we can get this right.

While there are no silver bullets when it comes to solving our public health crises, environmental degradation, and climate change, Lisa emphasizes the immense potential that smart protein holds. Listen in to learn about how diversifying our protein supply can impact livelihoods, health, environment, and more.

Resources for further reading:

XPRIZE Feed the Next Billion, and the competition’s semifinalists

(https://www.xprize.org/prizes/feedthenextbillion)

(https://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Article/2021/07/14/XPRIZE-unveils-semi-finalists-in-15m-global-Feed-the-Next-Billion-competition)

The Great Reset and insights on building back better with smart protein

(https://www.weforum.org/great-reset/)

(https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6680172874264920064/)

World Economic Forum’s Meat: The Future report, highlighting smart protein

(http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_White_Paper_Roadmap_Protein.pdf)

Market momentum in smart protein, covered by BCG and Bloomberg

(https://www.bcg.com/en-in/press/23march2021-alternative-protein-market-reach-290-billion-by-2035)

(https://www.bloomberg.com/company/press/plant-based-foods-market-to-hit-162-billion-in-next-decade-projects-bloomberg-intelligence/#:~:text=New%20York%2C%20August%2011%2C%202021,by%20Bloomberg%20Intelligence%20(BI))

A public health and food systems perspective on plant-based and cultivated meat

(https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2020.00134/full)

Find Lisa on LinkedIn
(https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-sweet-074b284/)

You can connect with Varun Deshpande:

LinkedIn | Twitter

Find GFI on Social Media:

You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: IVM Podcasts - Apps on Google Play or iOS: ‎IVM Podcasts, or any other podcast app.

You can check out our website at https://shows.ivmpodcasts.com/featured

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

enDecember 14, 2021

Riteish and Genelia Deshmukh on Re-Imagine-ing Our Relationship with Meat

You know them from all your favorite Bollywood movies, but Riteish and Genelia Deshmukh’s latest venture is part of a different world altogether: the smart protein ecosystem. Over the last few years, the Bollywood-superstars-slash-entrepreneurs have been working with GFI India to cook up something big. Their startup — Imagine Meats — is set to change the way we eat. They, along with the host of Indian smart protein companies that have been cropping up recently, are bringing alternatives to animal protein to market, tailor-made for the Indian palate.

In this lightning episode of Season 2.5, Riteish, Genelia, and our host Varun Deshpande delve into India’s meat eating habits, chat about serving up plant-based meat with an Indian spin on it, and discuss how the smart protein ecosystem can support local flavors, farmers, and food supply.

Riteish and Genelia also share their own experiences with making the switch to a plant-based diet, their cravings for ‘meat on a Mangalvar’, and their appreciation for the diversity found within India’s food and culture. Tune in to catch the conversation!

Resources for further reading:

Building the plant-based meat category in India with a splash:

Coverage by the Indian Express on Imagine Meats

(https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/food-wine/genelia-and-riteish-deshmukh-announce-plans-to-launch-plant-based-meat-products-6514952/)

A Twitter thread explaining the importance of big-splash category creation

((https://twitter.com/varund7/status/1363528357665673216))

Coverage by the Indian Express on Domino’s India launching their own plant-based meat pizza

(https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/food-wine/would-you-like-a-slice-of-vegetarian-chicken-pizza-7116625/)

Sustainability implications of plant-based meat, collating international data of launched companies globally, from The Good Food Institute

(https://gfi.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/GFI-Plant-Based-Meat-Fact-Sheet_Environmental-Comparison.pdf)

Indian consumers’ receptivity to smart protein, from Penn State University and The Good Food Institute India

(https://agfundernews.com/no-market-for-meat-alternatives-in-veggie-india-think-again-study-says.html)

(https://gfi.org.in/new-study-highlights-plant-based-and-cultivated-meat-acceptance-in-the-u-s-china-and-india/)

Follow Ritesh & Geneila:

Twitter: twitter.com/riteishd & twitter.com/geneliad

Instagram: instagram.com/riteishd & instagram.com/geneliad

You can connect with Varun Deshpande:

LinkedIn | Twitter

Find GFI on Social Media:

You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: IVM Podcasts - Apps on Google Play or iOS: ‎IVM Podcasts, or any other podcast app.

You can check out our website at https://shows.ivmpodcasts.com/featured

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

enDecember 14, 2021

Indra Nooyi on Smart Protein’s Breakout Moment

Indra Nooyi needs no introduction. But what does she think about smart protein? If you’re following along, you know that by investing in plant-based, fermentation-derived, and cultivated alternatives to animal-sourced meat, eggs, seafood, and dairy products — what we call smart protein — we stand a chance to vastly transform the future of food for the better. And Indra agrees with us.

In this first episode of Season 2.5, The Good Food Institute’s Varun Deshpande sits down with Indra Nooyi as they put their heads together to deliberate the massive benefits that smart protein brings to personal and planetary health. They discuss how we can improve our food supply, change our relationship with livestock, and prevent future pandemics.

Indra also emphasizes the need for smart protein to be accessible, ubiquitous, and affordable. Tune in to listen about how she thinks we’ll get there, what her thoughts on conscious capitalism are, and who she thinks the champions of the future might be.

Resources for further reading:

Corporate partnerships in smart protein, emerging out of PepsiCo and Unilever

(https://www.pepsico.com/news/press-release/pepsico-and-beyond-meat-establish-the-planet-partnership-llc-a-joint-venture-to-01262021)

(https://www.unilever.com/news/press-releases/2021/unilever-steps-up-plant-based-protein-innovation-in-partnership-with-enough.html)

Market momentum in smart protein, covered by BCG and Bloomberg

(https://www.bcg.com/en-in/press/23march2021-alternative-protein-market-reach-290-billion-by-2035)

Planetary health imperatives, covered by the World Economic Forum, Observer Research Foundation, The Lancet, and The Hindu

(https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/01/how-can-we-produce-enough-protein-to-feed-10-billion-people)

(https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/feeding-india-the-case-for-smart-protein/)

(https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(19)30023-3/fulltext)

(https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/embracing-alternative-protein/article31750635.ece)

Follow Indra Nooyi on

Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram

You can connect with Varun Deshpande:

LinkedIn | Twitter

Find GFI on Social Media:

You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: IVM Podcasts - Apps on Google Play or iOS: ‎IVM Podcasts, or any other podcast app.

You can check out our website at https://shows.ivmpodcasts.com/featured

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

enDecember 14, 2021

Smart Protein’s Breakout Year?

Alongside transitioning our energy supply, transitioning to smart protein and away from animal-derived agriculture is the most important thing we can do to preserve our link with our heritage, and safeguard our future - put differently, to have our meat and our planet too. In the face of climate change brought on by excessive land, water, and energy use, a world scrambling for food security, and global health crises like antibiotic resistance and future pandemics, can we build back better? We’re here to discuss exactly that in Season 2.5 of Feeding 10 Billion.

In this introductory episode, GFI India Managing Director Varun Deshpande and GFI India Communication Associate Ayesha Marfatia sit down to discuss the incredible growth the smart protein sector has seen over the last 18 months, even during the depths of a pandemic. They also lay out what this fast-paced, mini-season 2.5 has to hold - with episodes featuring Indra Nooyi, Riteish and Genelia Deshmukh, Lisa Sweet, Bernhard Kowatsch, and Kate Kruger.

Resources for further learning:

Explore GFI India’s resources

(https://gfi-india.org/resources/)

Watch videos from the Smart Protein Summit 2021 for a deep understanding of the business, science, and policy behind smart protein - and its impacts on public and planetary health.

(https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkUczvBheXjME7IRgvOKmUZBYJCFj0Xyw)

You can connect with Varun Deshpande:

LinkedIn | Twitter

Find GFI on Social Media:

You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: IVM Podcasts - Apps on Google Play or iOS: ‎IVM Podcasts, or any other podcast app.

You can check out our website at https://shows.ivmpodcasts.com/featured

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

enDecember 14, 2021

S02 E10: Plagues, Pestilence, Smart Protein: Our Resilient Food Future

In the final episode of Feeding 10 Billion Season 2, we contend with some of our enduring questions - what will humans eat in a world that is rapidly warming and exposed to the worst effects of climate change? And how do we preserve our links to tradition and the foods we love to eat in this new world? A dystopian future threatening those traditions is already rearing its head in a multitude of ways. Alternating extreme weather cycles like drought caused by water scarcity or floods caused by sudden storms are already stripping the soil of its ability to sustain us. While we stay in to fend off the worst pandemic our generation has seen, we’ve also witnessed biblical proportions of pestilence ravaging our crops. This year, parts of East Africa, Iran, and India witnessed their most disruptive locust swarms in decades, while the UK’s unprecedented weather reduced wheat yields to their lowest levels in 40 years, threatening to convert it from an exporter to a net importer. If we want to prioritise food security, we will need all the answers we can find - all technologies, communities, and platforms that can help us build a more resilient food supply.

Today’s guest is an entrepreneur working on exactly the kind of foods that can enable us to reverse - or, at the very least, withstand - the ravages of climate change and public health crises. Thomas Jonas is CEO and cofounder of Nature’s Fynd, a company whose story is as fascinating as any science fiction you’ve ever read - it involves NASA, space exploration, and the world’s largest supervolcano. Nature’s Fynd has big plans for fueling the planet sustainably with complete protein from fungi - learn more on the season finale of F10B.

NOTES:

Companies Mentioned:

Nature’s Fynd

Bibliography

Biblical, on steroids, and across generations: The coming food and nutrition crash can be averted if we act now to counter the COVID-19 crisis, IFPRI Blog

Climate crisis: Extreme weather means UK faces worst wheat yields in 40 years, farmers’ union says, Independent

Beyond vegan burgers: next-generation protein could come from air, methane, volcanic springs, Reuters

Do These Tiny Organisms Hold the Key to Lab-Grown Food? Bloomberg

Food Startup Takes Microbes From the Volcano to the Table, The Wall Street Journal

Nature's Fynd (formerly Sustainable Bioproducts) raises $80m to grow food from microbes, Food Navigator USA

NASA’s Small Investments in Small Businesses Pay Big Dividends, NASA

For Further Reading:

Sustainable Bioproducts Makes Animal-Free Meat with Volcano Microorganisms, GFI Blog

Beyond Plants: Using Fermentation, Fungi, Algae, and Bacteria to Create Novel Proteins and Ingredients, The Good Food Conference, 2019

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feeding 10 Billion

enAugust 25, 2020

S02 E09: Building the Bio Revolution

We tend to focus on the fact that in the year 2050 we will have to feed 10 billion human beings on this planet but we won’t be the only species we have to worry about. We are currently witnessing an unprecedented loss of biodiversity as climate change makes this planet inhospitable for all species. We need to find a way to feed not just ourselves but also ensure other species thrive on Earth without being too extractive from nature. It is clear that biotech is going to be key to this transformation, and will rule the world just as software did for the last few decades. And there are a few people building the future of food at the vanguard of this development.

Our guest this week is one of the most prolific investors, and early stage funders of numerous biotech companies in the alternative protein space. Ryan Bethencourt is the CEO of Wild Earth that makes pet food from fermentation-based protein. He is also a partner at Babel Ventures, an early stage consumer biotech venture capital fund. As the co-founder, and CEO of incubators, and seed funds like IndieBio (an SOS Ventures backed accelerator, and early stage seed fund), Berkeley Bio Labs, a startup incubator, and sector builder, as well as the head of life sciences at the XPRIZE foundation, Ryan has funded well over a 100 companies. The list includes notable alternative protein companies like Shiok Meats, Memphis Meats, New Wave Foods, Clara Foods, Finless Foods as well as Mumbai’s plant-based egg company, Evo Foods. Ryan’s aim overlaps with ours at GFI India - we want to positively impact the lives of billions of people, and animals!

NOTES:

Companies Mentioned:

Bibliography:

Why Wild Earth Cofounder Ryan Bethencourt Is Applying The Science Of 'Vegan Biohacking' To Pet Food, Forbes.

Eat For The Planet #71 - Ryan Bethencourt: Reinventing Pet Food and Building the Post-Animal Bio Economy, EFTP.

This biotech startup is growing protein-rich vegan pet food in a lab, FastCompany

Shiok Meats takes the cultured meat revolution to the seafood aisle with plans for cultured shrimp, TechCrunch.

Tour the San Francisco lab that’s growing meat in a petri dish, CNBC

A foodtech EVO-lution: this startup is set to disrupt India’s plant-based food market with its ‘clean’ egg substitute, YourStory

For Further Reading:

Ryan Bethencourt’s writing on Medium.

Ryan’s videos on the Singularity University page.

What does it take to create a conducive environment for scale-up of new protein companies? Future of Protein Summit, YouTube Channel.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feeding 10 Billion

enAugust 18, 2020

S02 E08: Conquering the Valley of Death

What seemed like science fiction just a few decades back, is increasingly becoming a reality. Early research pioneered by NASA on how to feed astronauts in long haul missions to planets like Mars brought closed loop systems and fermented ingredients to the spotlight. These systems don’t rely on limited natural resources, and could potentially be key to feeding 10 billion sustainably by 2050. And those fermentation machines? They’re none other than microorganisms like bacteria, yeast, and microalgae, which can make nutritious protein from little more than air, CO2, and water! Our guests this week are both accomplished PhD’s - one is from the investment side of the equation while the other is a biotech scientist who has turned entrepreneur. Ritu Verma is co-founder and managing partner at Ankur Capital, a firm that is funding ideas for the next billion, while Ezhil Subbian is CEO and Co-Founder of String, a synthetic biology company which makes microbial protein from methane. Ritu has backed Ezhil’s vision with the catalytic capital we keep talking about on this show. In developed startup ecosystems like Silicon Valley, academia partners with investors and entrepreneurs to leverage technology transfer and fuel innovation. In India, those pathways are still being built out - but before that happens, we need focussed intervention in the form of grants, funding and other incentives from the government to create those cradles of scientific enterprise within universities and other players. Ezhil and Ritu are the perfect guests to tell us more. Listen to find out what it really takes to scale biotech innovation in emerging markets.

NOTES:

Companies Mentioned:

Bibliography:

The Bio Revolution: Innovations transforming economies, societies, and our lives, McKinsey

Why Software is Eating the World, Marc Andresssen, Wall Street Journal

FSSAI manpower shortage: Govt sanctions nearly 500 additional posts for food regulator, FirstPost

For Further Reading:

Bridging the Valley of Death between Innovation Funding and Market Adoption: Forbes

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feeding 10 Billion

enAugust 11, 2020

S02 E07: Tackling Malnutrition with Smart Protein: A Glimpse of the Future

Smart protein, if done right, can be a big win for the planet. By now, hopefully, it is clear that foods that replace animal-sourced meat, eggs, and dairy tend to use fewer resources, do not contribute to rising greenhouse gas emissions, and diminish the risk of zoonotic diseases and antibiotic resistance. But equally exciting is the sector’s potential to tackle issues that we grapple with and mention on Feeding 10 Billion all the time - like malnutrition. India faces the tremendous challenge of being home to a third of the world’s total stunted children, and half of all under-5 child mortality in the country is due to undernutrition. Poor nutrition in the first 1000 days of a child’s life is crucial to tackling this issue, as is a young mother’s health. Irrespective of whether they feed their kids breastmilk or formula, (and face guilt over whatever they choose), if mothers are grappling with anemia or poor nutrition, their kids do not have access to the nutrients they so badly need. Meanwhile, over 10% of cow’s milk production globally is actually absorbed by the infant nutrition market. Our guests this week, (which is timed perfectly with World Breastfeeding Week), have a solution that could allow mothers to feed their children actual human breast milk without worrying about a baby’s ability to latch, their own nutrition, or supplementing inadequate feed with formula made from animal-sourced milk. All while giving their babies the nutrients they desperately need. Michelle Egger is the CEO, and Co-Founder of BioMilq, while Leila Strickland is the CSO, and Co-Founder. They are a women-owned, science-led, and parent-centered infant nutrition company producing breast milk cultivated from cells!

NOTES:

Companies Mentioned:

Biomilq

Turtle Tree Labs

Scientific Definitions:

Cellular Physiology: Cellular physiology is concerned with the mechanism of transport of nutrients, ions, and water into and out of the cell, as well as how cells communicate with each other through signaling pathways, or respond to external cues.

Epithelial/ Epithelium (Intestinal, Kidney, Corneal, Mammary): Membranous tissue composed of one or more layers of cells separated by very little intercellular substance and forming the covering of most internal and external surfaces of the body and its organs.

Human milk oligosaccharides (HMO, also known as human milk glycans): Sugar molecules that are part of the oligosaccharides group and can be found in high concentrations exclusively in human breast milk.

Bibliography:

Bill Gates’ climate-change investment firm bets on lab-produced breast milk, CNBC

BIOMILQ Could Be The Next Major Food Disruptor: Getting Real About Entrepreneurship With Co Founder And CEO Michelle Egger, Forbes

Breakthrough: Two women producing breast milk - outside the body, Medium

The Business Case for Investment in Nutrition, Chatham House

WHO and UNICEF warn of a decline in vaccinations during COVID-19, WHO

Overview of Malnutrition in India

WHO on Nutrition and Breastfeeding

For Further Reading:

Feeding Lessons to tackle malnutrition, Frontline

Unfolding the Human Milk Microbiome Landscape in the Omics Era, Frontiers in Food Microbiology

Breastfed Right: How Shrirampur’s Babies Escape Malnutrition: IndiaSpend

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Feeding 10 Billion

enAugust 04, 2020

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