A South Korean research team has developed a new hybrid food, an affordable and eco-friendly source of protein, in a bid to develop a sustainable future option.
“Inside a small university lab full of whirring equipment, a bowl of cooked rice sits in a fridge.
“With its pink and violet hues, it doesn’t quite look like ordinary rice.
“’This is rice we have integrated animal cells into, using a substance called gelatin to coat the surface of rice grains on a nano-scale. We cultured them in an incubator at about 37 degrees for about 1-2 weeks and cooked them using a microwave,’ Milae Lee, a researcher in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Yonsei University, told Euronews Health.
“In February, biomolecular engineers at Yonsei University in South Korea successfully integrated animal cells into rice grains in a bid to develop a sustainable future food.
“Dubbed ‘‘hybrid rice”, the novel food contains 310 mg more protein content per 100 g than the rice did before the experiment, according to the research team.
“It also has 160 mg more carbohydrates per 100 g than conventional rice. The research team explains this is due to a delay in carbohydrate decomposition, a process where carbohydrates bind to cell components during cell organisation.
“Given that 1 g of beef brisket contains approximately 186.2 mg of protein, eating 100g of hybrid rice can be comparable to eating 100 g of standard rice with 1 g of beef brisket, the research team wrote in **a study**published in the journal Matter.
“The research team says this nutritional improvement was due to the fish gelatin and enzymes used to improve the structural stability of the rice grains.
“A flavour analysis showed that it tastes similar to normal rice, with a slight hint of animal protein, resembling butter and almonds, followed by a subtle undertone of fat afterwards…
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