BBC: Could AI Help Create a Meat-Free World?

With expanding wealth and middle classes in emerging economies, global production of meat has more than doubled since 1986. Such agricultural production also has environmental costs. So entrepreneurs are trying to develop new foods that taste like meat products. “Meat is not their only target: mayonnaise, cookie dough, cheese, chocolate, and pretty much every other food produced using animal-based ingredients are in their sights,” reports Jose Luis Penarredonda for BBC News. “Their dream is to make the world’s diet vegan by default, to make a plant-based option the easiest, cheapest and most convenient one on the menu.” Researchers for companies like Hampton Creek and NotCo use a range of tools including artificial intelligence, computational biology, algorithms, laboratory cultures and databases to identify, isolate and manipulate fats and proteins and develop substitute ingredients for recipes. The multicultural teams also try to appeal to diverse palates. One company CEO points out that the planet simply cannot sustain meat diets for a population could reach 10 billion by the end of the century. – YaleGlobal

BBC: Could AI Help Create a Meat-Free World?

Diets with more meat and animal products deplete the Earth's resources; artificial intelligence may improve taste of meat-free foods
Jose Luis Penarredonda
Thursday, January 18, 2018
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