Food of tomorrow: New Hydrosol book explains opportunities, challenges and future nutrition trends

19 Aug 2019 --- As the world’s population is set to skyrocket to almost 10 billion people by 2050, supplying future generations with safe, affordable and good-tasting foods is “one of the major challenges of our time,” declares Dr. Matthias Moser, Managing Director Hydrosol. That’s why the company has brought out The Stabiliser People, a new book to mark its 25th anniversary, which talks about conceivable solutions and why the food ingredients industry plays a key role.

The book discusses developments in the food and nutrition industries in the past 25 years and presents key upcoming trends. For example, trend researcher Hanni Rützler examines which foods will be on tomorrow’s menus and how will we eat meals, as well as what drivers are pushing innovations in food technology.

The book provides practical examples, focusing on forward-looking product ideas in the dairy, meat and sausage, deli foods and dessert categories, along with plant-based alternatives. There is also a close look at Hydrosol research and development, and the authors discuss the various product quality requirements of different national markets.

Feeding the growing world population and the importance of the ingredients industry are never far from the book's focus.Throughout the many topics addressed by the book, whether food trends or research, feeding the growing world population and the importance of the ingredients industry are never far from the focus of interest. 

According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, by 2050 demand for meat will increase by 150 percent to 420 million tons per year, requiring a 60 to 110 percent increase in agricultural output. With this in mind, the importance of alternative protein sources quickly becomes clear. 

“For some time now we’ve been working hard on ideas with high potential to secure adequate supplies of alternative proteins in the future. It’s no exaggeration to say that in the past three years we have turned into a competence center for stabilizing and texturing in this area,” says Dr. Moser. 

“We’re researching the properties and functions of many different plant proteins. We’re also looking at sustainable concepts for making better use of raw materials because there is valuable protein, not just in filet, but also in by-products like trimmings or whey.”

As diverse as the product concepts are, to be successful on the market there is one criterion they all must meet – they have to taste good. “Ultimately only flavor and texture determine whether a product is purchased more than once,” he notes. “A vegan product can have great protein content, be super healthy and trendy – but if people don’t enjoy eating it, they will not buy it again. So in my view, food technology will be one of the key technologies of the 21st century. It’s functional ingredients that make it possible to turn natural, sustainably-grown raw materials into attractive products for consumers in all the different international markets. With our system solutions it’s already possible to make plant-based products that come very close to the flavor, texture and mouthfeel of animal products.”

The resulting potential for the food industry is shown in Hydrosol’s new book which is published in German, English, Spanish and Russian.

Edited by Gaynor Selby