Food technologies of beer or liquid bread, bread, wine, distilled liquor, coffee, tea, and coca cola evolved over the last 12000 years past the stone age have been the fabric of human history, culture, and civility. In a very direct way, the agricultural technologies have shaped modes of our existence more than the modern day digital technologies. The history of the beer like technology of soma drink of Vedic India, that most likely predates the Mesopotomian (modern Iraq) evolution of beer 9000 years ago, is never talked about by the Western thinkers. I wish to trace the history of soma drink of Vedic India which signifies the ancient roots of fermentation technology.
THE VEDIC SOMA DRINK
The two Rig Veda mantras describe the divine drink SOMA whose traces are lost in in history some 800 BCE ago. The word soma refers to the drink, the plant from which it is extracted from, and the deity. Rig Veda 8.84.3 calls it Amrita used by Lord Indra and Lord Agni. This mystery occupies an entire chapter with 114 Hymns. Shrimad Bhagavad Gita refers to soma drink (9.20) and Ghrit (9.16) which is prepared post milk fermentation. Fermentation must have been a cottage industry during Lord Krishna’s time.
सोमं॑ मन्यते पपि॒वान्यत्स॑म्पिं॒षन्त्योष॑धिम् । सोमं॒ यं ब्र॒ह्माणो॑ वि॒दुर्न तस्या॑श्नाति॒ कश्च॒न ॥
“He who has drunk thinks that the herb which men crush is the Soma; (but) that which the Brāhmaṇas know to be Soma,, of that no one partakes. {i.e., no one partakes of it unless he has sacrificed; if the Soma be taken as the moon, ‘no one’ will mean ‘no one but the gods’].” Rig Veda 10.85.3 It is further described in Sam Veda and Yajurveda,
अपा॑म॒ सोम॑म॒मृता॑ अभू॒माग॑न्म॒ ज्योति॒रवि॑दाम दे॒वान् । किं नू॒नम॒स्मान्कृ॑णव॒दरा॑ति॒: किमु॑ धू॒र्तिर॑मृत॒ मर्त्य॑स्य ॥
“We drink the Soma, may we become immortal; we have attained the light of (heaven), we have known the gods; what now could the enemy do to us, or what, O immortal, should the aggriever do to the mortal?” Rig Veda 8.84.3
The soma plant has been variously described as yellow in color and strong by the stalks. Its brown and tawny colored extract, prepared by stone grinding and filtering through a woolen pad, was used during yoga, breath control, fasting, and meditation. As Somalata, it is described in Ayurveda as bronchodialator. It could very well may have been Ephedra sinica that gave ephedrine to Iranians. We know that non-hallucinogenic ephedrine is similar to amphetamine. Soma may also might have been Canabis sativa, the Bhang that is used during Holi celebrations even today in India. An alternate might have been Fly Agaric Mushroom.
We have drunk the Soma; we have become immortal; we have gone to the light; we have found the gods… The glorious drops that I have drunk set me free in wide space. The Rig Veda (VIII.48)
Was there something in the sap? or was it the scheme of precision fermentation? This fleshy and glabrous plant with milky latex contains alkaloids, phenols, phytosterols, steroids, sterols, terpenes, tannins, flavonoids, hums, and waxes. People in Rajasthan in India eat its seeds. Somalata is well known as an anecdote against snake bite. There is a good deal of research now on the psychopharmacological aspects of this rare lant.
https://www.worldwidejournals.com › April › Apr.., and The Journal of Phytopharmacology 2013; 2(5): 1-7 on Sacrostemma acidum
Let us make note of the recipe of soma from Somalata, a warehouse of nutraceuticals.
1. Select this leafless plant grown in arid zones and prepare juice by stone grinding and filtering. 2. Add water, dahi (yogurt) , and barley powder. 3. Let ferment for 15 days. We have no idea of the rigor of precision fermentation that was used. Use the drink and fly in the heavens.
PROBLEMS OF THE HIGHLY PROCESSED MODERN DAY FOODS
The fermentation processes of beer, liquid bread, bread, wine, distilled liquors, coffee, and cola were relatively simpler than today’s high temperature, ultra-high pressure, and ohmic treatments. These are conditions whose effects on nutrients and new chemical interactions specially during nine to months to to 1 year long storage we don’t fully understand. Such foods include sodas and other sweetened drinks, candy, industrial breads and breakfast cereals, and ready-to-heat and -eat dishes found in the freezer section of modern day supermarkets. The culprits in these foods are high sodium, high sugar, and high saturated fat including trans-fat. Acrylamide from fried foods are carcinogenic and so is bisphenol A from plastic packaging and canned foods. Preservatives used in meat products often introduce free radicals, We came to realize rather late during the late 20th and 21st century that such foods of low fiber content cause obesity epidemic and whole host of chronic diseases like overweight conditions, inflammatory bowl syndrome, heart disease, high blood pressure, digestive problems, poor microbiome, and colon cancer. The truth is that the multinational corporations have ruined our food, beverage, and water supplies.
The answer for sure lies in minimally processed safe and sustainable plant based functional foods including flavor and color combinations. Spoonful of spices and herbs used in India for centuries add antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antitumorigenic, anticarcinogenic, and glucose- and cholesterol-lowering ingredients as well as properties that affect cognition and mood. Their role is not limited to flavor and taste.
MODERN DAY SUBSTITUTE PRODUCTS
Aspartame (Nutrasweet0 and Asulfame-K (Sunnett and Sweet One) are linked to cancer according to a very credible recent French study.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8946744/#:~:text=Conclusions,associated%20with%20increased%20cancer%20risk.
Fructose, consumed widely and excessively via common beverages, is implicated in colon cancer and diabetes.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41574-020-0383-3
Per capita consumption of fructose and aspartame in US rose to during the past half a century respectively to
1. 54.7 g/day or 10.1% of total calories for fructose (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2525476/) and
2. Although consumed only up to 20% of FDA’s RDA, an RDA of 50 mg per Kg body weight or 3.75 g per day aspartame intake is questionable.
The US food industry failed to pay attention to these huge consumptions. A layman can easily see the fault in consuming 54.7 gram fructose and its effects on metabolic imbalance.
THE CASE OF TODAY’S WATER TECHNOLOGY
To me, processed water signals Bisphenol A, carcinogen that gets into our blood via household food and beverage polycarbonate plastic packaging. It is getting rampant and urine samples of men and women in Canada and USA show 0.2 microgram bisphenol A per liter. It can cause cancer to our nerve cells and prostate glands if present above 1 microgram/liter in the blood. Membrane processing (RO) of water may help removing bisphenol A from our water supplies.
United States of America and the world does not need bottled water. The tap water will do the job if processed properly. We need to upgrade a daily global supply of 50 billion gallons per day. Estimates indicate that 5 billion people on the globe today suffer from water shortage including folks in California in the United States of America. The multinational food companies must wake up now.
THE POWER OF PLANT-BASED FOODS
Kraft-Heinz, Nestle, IKEA Burger King, the German Lidle, Tiv Ta’am of Israel, and Bel group are shying away from meat and dairy foods.
Consume cruciferous vegetables, Olive Oils, Nuts, and berries for longevity in good health.
NEW FERMENTATION TECHNOLOGIES
THE POWER OF A FERMENTATION PLANT
Many advances notwithstanding in the areas of enzyme and protein fermentations, the global capacity is on the decline. There are only 150 facilities in 50 countries at the present say the Good Food Institute and Blue horizon. China seems to be advancing ahead faster in this area. Let us look at what some new groups are up to.
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ADM’s Scaleup Bio, 2. Cargill, 3. Every Co., 4. New Culture, 5. Heleina, 6. Chain foods, 7. Perfect Day, 8. Onego bio, and 9. Imagine dairy
The United States is catching up on advanced fermentation for production of food and medicine for public welfare. Vevolution’s fermentation technology startups for new foods and food ingredients is appended here.
FERMENTATION FOR FUTURE FOODS
Needs research infrastructure for
Refined fermentation of traditional fermented foods, precision fermentation by genetic re[programing, new sources, food safety and security by fermentation, production efficiency and a range of products (enzymes, proteins, and color) for flavor, taste, texture, and color. Ferment biomass and waste.
Examples of the traditional are Chataney, pickles, and siraka (vinegar of India), kimchi of Korea, miso, natto of Japan, sauerkraut of Germany, sun-dried Gundruk from fermented vegetable leaves of Nepal, tamari, tempeh. Fermentation of the old and the new is in spotlight.
Startups Using Fermentation to Create the Future Foods
(EMBO vol 22(5), 2021; Vevo Admin, 21 February 2023)
Fermentation is a very old technology that created beer, bread, wine, cheese, kimchi, and more. Given developments in genomics for precision modifications of microorganisms, the technology has come in spotlight for producing new enzyme, meat like proteins flavors, colors, and textures not by blends of ingredients but by new molecular structures.
Fermentation and the Future of Food
Fermentation can be used for producing alternative protein products that are currently are made using plant-based ingredients, like nuts, seeds, legumes, and mushrooms for defined flavor, nutrition, and texture. The new list includes mycelium-based steaks to oil made from upcycling agricultural side streams. These products can be cultivated with least environmental impact. Fermentation can create more perfect meat alternatives. Here is a paraphrased and classified version of Vevolution’s compilation of new startups in fermentation technology of a global value of US $v1.5 billion (2022).
Biomass Fermentation
Biomass fermentation uses high-protein microorganisms with rapid growth to produce protein-rich food; the microorganisms in this process are the ingredients used for alternative proteins.
Argentina
ERGO BIOSCIENCE (Argentina)has developed clones capable of expressing mammalian proteins, reproducing their entire structure, with the aim of taking plant foods to another organoleptic and nutritional level. The company can produce bovine myoglobin for application in plant-based meat and bovine caseins for application in plant-based cheeses.
Australia
Nourish ingredients of Australia cultivate fungal mycelia for protein product like Quorn (Dr. James Pritie CEO).
FIRMITY (Austria) says that we are here to domesticate microorganisms and build super simple and fully automated production platforms to address the issue of large scale milk protein production.
Brazil
Mush in Brazil transforming the world with sustainable products made from mycelium and agricultural side steams, like leather and food, using a negative carbon technology. made from mycelium and agricultural side streams.
Estonia
FUNKI provides nutritious, healthy & environmentally friendly protein products made from mycoprotein grown during a fermentation process.
MATI (Estonia): Meet Future is developing proprietary mycoprotein texturization technologies and clean label recipes for whole cut meat alternatives, while simultaneously focusing on expanding solid state fermentation capabilities to produce mycoprotein themselves.
ÄIO of Estonia produces healthy fats and oils to replace animal-based fats and unsustainable vegetable oils in our food chains. The company has developed technologies for ’brewing’ fats and oils from locally available by-products from the food, agricultural, and wood industry.
ProProtein of Estonia is developing a technology for producing the functional component of dairy – casein proteins – without the need for cattle farming.
Germany
Protein Distillery of Germany is producing the first customizable vegan protein to fully substitute all functionalities of animal protein, paving the way towards sustainable food production.
India
Zero Cow Factory of India bioengineers microbes and uses precision fermentation to create India’s first animal-free dairy.
Isreal
Kinko-Tech of Israel produces fungal mycelia.
Italy
PROTeIN is revolutionizing microbial protein ingredients by developing a next gen continuous C02 fermentation technology that is GMO, chemical, and allergen free.
Parma Food Lab (Italy): Using organic chickpeas and their fermented aquafaba, Parma is crafting a plant-based alternative to grated Italian cheeses.
Netherlands
NoPalm Ingredients (Netherlands) produces sustainable microbial oils to replace the use of palm and other tropical oils by fermenting agri-food sidestreams.
NoA Biosciences (Netherlands) is transforming wood into fungal proteins and are building the first production ecosystem for alternative protein businesses and eaters.
South Africa
De Novo Dairy of South Africa is a biotech nutrition company focused on designing and creating animal-free proteins to improve the planet’s and people’s health, starting with lactoferrin.
Spain
Libre Foods (Spain) uses precision fermentation, bacon made from mycelium is Libre’s first innovation, after which the company says it will work on developing whole-cut chicken and steak products.
Sweden
Millow (Sweden) stands for mycelial products via CO2 fermentation,
Mycorena (Sweden), using proprietary technology, Mycorena has developed Promyc, a revolutionary fungi-based ingredient for food manufacturing that can be used to create endless new vegan food products.
Switzerland
Cultivated Biosciences of Switzerland is developing an ingredient from GMO-free yeast, which offers the creaminess needed for plant-based dairy to appeal to flexitarians.
U.K.
Adamo Foods (United Kingdom), using a proprietary fermentation process, is developing sustainable and realistic alternatives to meat whole-cuts using mycelium
USA
Michroma of San Francisco Ca produces for red color by fungal fermentation based on precision CRISPR technology.
Aqua Cultured Foods’ of USA sashimi made from mycelium. Aqua Cultured Foods has developed the first whole-muscle cut sushi-quality seafood alternatives created using microbial fermentation.
Hyfé Foods of USA produces low-carb, protein-rich mycelium flour by leveraging fermentation to upcycle wasted sugar water from food manufacturing.
Bosque Foods of United Statesharnesses the natural power of fungi to create a nutrient-dense, fibrous and tender whole-cut pieces of alternative meat.
Fybraworks of United States aims to disrupt the trillion dollar meat market by growing real animal meat proteins in yeasts and fungi through a fermentation process.
Sincarne of United States uses fungal fermentation to convert agricultural products and residues into complete proteins and ingredients.
Change Foods of united States is a US-Australian food tech startup using biotechnology and precision fermentation to recreate real, animal-free cheese and dairy products.
GOURMED FOODS CO (United States): Using a novel fermentation technique developed by an award winning chef, Grounded Foods makes dairy alternatives from imperfect vegetables and hemp.
RENEGRADE FOODS (United States) is transforming the deli counter with premium deli meats made entirely from plants,Renegade Foods combines traditional salami-making techniques with cutting edge biotechnology.
Fermentation Research infrastructure
Boston University (United States): Boston Bioworks helps fermentation-based food companies develop and scale up production, providing strain evaluation, fermentation optimization, processing optimization, and tech transfer services.
NEW WAVE BIOTECH (United Kingdom): New Wave’s software optimizes biomanufacturing processes to accelerate R&D and reduce production costs of alternative proteins.
SYNONYM BIO (United States) is a financing and development platform for essential biomanufacturing infrastructure, building production capacity for synthetic biology companies and creating a new asset class for investors.
MK@ BIOTECHNOLOGIES (Germany), using a revolutionary synthesis technology, mk2 enables high-potential peptide and protein-based products to become applicable for mass markets.
Vevolution’s Statistics (https://www.vevolution.com/maps/startups/fermentation).
A mission oriented investment community for vegan startups. Contact hello@vevolution.com if you wish
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54% companies are in Europe.
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39% are women founded by women enterpreneurs.
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An average valuation of only $10,000,000. To 21,000,000
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