By the middle of the 21st century, the world population will increase by two billion people and the problem of food supply will become even more acute. Today, about 800 million people are facing food shortages.
Scientists are actively discussing how we will eat in the future as agricultural resources continue to decline. Scientists spoke about the search for new biological resources and the creation of fundamentally new products during the 19th International Congress of Dietitians and Nutritionists “Optimal nutrition is the foundation of a long and active life”.
Fruit is best
Agriculture still plays a huge role in providing new food sources. “We are faced with the task of increasing productivity and quality in farming and horticulture,” said the Director of the named Federal Scientific Center IV Michurina Mikhail Akimov.
“It is therefore important to develop innovative approaches to developing new varieties, introducing new technologies and directions, including preserving fruits and bringing them to consumers as well as introducing science-based systems for horticulture and field cultivation. In crop production, this is the only resource for developing specialized products. Today, we are increasingly forced to turn to artificial intelligence: for example when monitoring crops It helps a lot in making decisions about treatments, what to feed the plants, how much water to give and links it all to the weather forecast.”
According to Mikhail Akimov, the main driving force for the development of the agro-industrial complex today is the cultivation of fruits saturated with essential micronutrients and the creation of products with increased nutritional density.
“Agro-industrial complex products are considered the most important source of vitamins, polyphenolic antioxidants, carbohydrates and organic acids in our body. And the share of fruits and vegetables in the consumer basket has increased significantly. We must understand that the nutritional value of the products we produce is a calculated indicator of the required volume of consumption and the volume of cultivation required for state self-sufficiency. At the same time, the level of nutritional knowledge of the The population is growing and needs will change,” Mikhail Akimov said.
Fruits and berries are the main sources of so-called secondary bioactive substances. However, over time, their number in the fetus gradually decreases. How to keep fruit fresh for a long time? Scientists from the Federal Science Center are named after. IV Michurin, under the leadership of Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Professor and Doctor of Agricultural Sciences Vladimir Gudkovsky, developed year-round fruit preservation technology. The so-called dynamically controlled atmosphere is based on the use of only physical factors that affect fruits (low temperature, minimum permissible oxygen content, moderate amount of carbon dioxide), which ensures their protection from sunburn, decomposition and maximum preservation of the quality of many fruits (vitamins and other biologically active substances) throughout the year. “Previously, we did not pay much attention to preservation – apples and pears were brought to us from abroad. But now we began to import less and besides, we have our own fruits. And buyers want to see them of good quality all year round – with excellent taste and complete vitamin composition. Preservation is also important for maintaining food security in the country,” says Vladimir Gudkovsky.
New fish species
The so-called major African expeditions, taking place in 2024 and 2025 off the coasts of West Africa, Morocco and Mauritania, are devoted to the search for new aquatic biological resources for the production of food products. Elena Kharchenko, associate professor at the All-Russian Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography, talked about what scientists discovered during their research.
The purpose of the expeditions is to collect samples to study local zooplankton species composition. Most deep-sea fish species have been studied, including some that many people did not suspect existed. The catch is thrown on deck and scientists sort it. In total, about 30 species of fish were caught in scientists' nets. And four of them have been thoroughly studied: taract (a genus of ray-finned fish in the sea bream family, considered an analogue of the dorado), bodian (an order of perciformes, an analogue of sea bass), beryx (family Beriskidae, also similar to sea bass), and short-finned flounder (a flounder, similar to flounder).
All types of fish are considered safe to eat. The largest is the cockroach, up to a meter long and weighing up to 9 kg. Bodian is smaller (half a meter and weighs up to 2 kg). Shortfin saltpeter turns out to be a small fish (120 g, of which no more than 40% is edible). Beriks is also a baby. But their advantage is that there are almost no small bones.
Absolutely all “tested” fish are low in fat (and this is more a minus than a plus), but they contain a lot of protein (up to 20%) and are rich in beneficial amino acids. In addition, all four types have valuable qualities such as low calorie content. They contain a lot of phosphorus and, unexpectedly, a lot of iron (up to 20% of the daily value).
As for taste, for example, beriks, due to its high glutamic acid content, has the sweetness of shrimp. Japanese chefs use it on sushi. Taract can become an analogue of dorado – it can be grilled, smoked, stuffed or steamed. The remaining types of fish are also quite suitable for culinary experimentation.
However, it is still difficult to assess the industrial production of these fish – biologists have not yet assessed how large their stocks are on the seabed, so it is unclear whether they can become commercial objects or remain exotic.
Bread is the beginning of everything
Bread is the only product that is not boring. And in recent years, scientists have been working to improve it. For example, the Baking Industry Research Institute has developed two new functional bakery products for the Arctic region: “Arctic” and “Pole” bread. At the same time, they are made from ingredients endemic to the Arctic region, such as Icelandic lichen thallus and sphagnum moss. In particular, the “Arctic” bread includes a mixture of rye and flour, dried cranberries and Icelandic cetraria. It is a good source of protein, phosphorus, magnesium, iron and also contains large amounts of fiber and vitamin E.
The “Strategy for the Development of the Arctic Region of the Russian Federation until 2023” ensures an increase in the population working and living in harsh climatic conditions. And we need to provide them with access to a variety of food products rich in vitamins and essential macro- and microelements.
Another development of scientists is the creation of special varieties of bread for people with type 2 diabetes. As NIIHP director Marina Kostyuchenko said, when creating new recipes, special attention is paid to preserving the traditional taste and aroma of bread: “Bread must remain a familiar product, regardless of the ingredients. For example, even experienced specialists cannot distinguish gluten-free bread from traditional bread when tasted sealed.”
The new breads contain more fiber, are less digestible carbohydrates, and have a lower glycemic index and calorie content. They also contain ingredients that enrich the bread with essential macro and micronutrients. The products developed are a source of protein, B vitamins, iron, magnesium, phosphorus and fiber. Today, bread for diabetics is being clinically tested in one of the specialized hospitals.
…Every year, scientists create new types of bakery products with many additional benefits. Over the past 5 years, 68 new technologies and 12 bread production methods have been developed, a third of them for preventive, therapeutic and therapeutic nutrition.
