What is the possibility of insect food? Space food and Euglena [Part 1] -Space caster Remi Enomoto

Euglena under the auspices of the research and development department, "Euglena Future Materials Conference 2020" was held at the Live on August 31, 2020. At this event, as a prospect of food materials required in the future, presentations and discussions were held on the direction of development related to food in space and the possibility of microalgae. This time, I will introduce a part of it by transcribing it. This time, as the first part, Remi Enomoto, who is active as a space caster, appears.

The charm of space x living things (food)

Hello! My name is Remi Enomoto, a space caster. Thank you for visiting "Euglena Future Material Conference 2020" today. In this part, I would like to introduce the charm of Euglena

Before that, let me introduce myself. My name is Remi Enomoto, a space caster. I was addicted to astrophysics when I was in high school, and once joined a TV station as an announcer, but I left the company and now as a "space caster", I appear on TV programs such as Nittele NEWS24, YouTube channels, and space-related events. We are doing activities to introduce the fun of the universe through such things as.

There are various topics related to space, but what I am currently paying attention to is "food." Originally, I majored in bioscience at the Faculty of Science and Engineering when I was a university student, so I was very interested in the organisms that carry "food", but "food" is premised on a long-term stay in space, which has become a reality in recent years. I am also very interested in how it should be.

There are various types of "space food", but today I would like to introduce Euglena which are said to be important when assuming a long-term stay in space.

Possibility of insect feeding

Insects are a food ingredient that has been attracting attention in recent years. In 2013, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) recommended insects as a source of protein for the future, and several venture companies are working on the development of insect foods. Insects have already become a valuable food source around the world. For example, in the Cambodian village I visited the other day, insects were taken as foodstuffs, and insect food was rooted as a culture.

So why is insect food attracting attention?
① Contains abundant nutrients such as protein
(2) By substituting livestock such as cattle as a source of protein, methane gas contained in cattle burp can be reduced, leading to measures against global warming.
③ Space-saving and easy to breed
Because there are features such as.

Insect food with such characteristics is also attracting attention as space food, and JAXA and Euglena Co., Ltd. participate in "SPACE FOODSPHERE However, research and development is underway.

Greater than insects? Euglena 's potential

So far, I've introduced you to the beauty of insect food, but isn't it actually better than insects? Euglena is paying attention.

Euglena contains 59 kinds of abundant nutrients including protein, and because it grows by photosynthesis like plants, it takes in carbon dioxide and releases oxygen. In other words, it is excellent as a nutritious foodstuff from the viewpoint of global warming countermeasures and carbon cycle in the closed space of space. Furthermore, it looks beautiful. One of the hurdles to eating insects is the problem of appearance, but in that respect, the appearance of Euglena swimming in the water is very beautiful. In outer space, it can be used not only as an ingredient but also as an interior.

And now, Euglena in the company Euglena I have heard that are working in research and development of space food in. It is said that the taste is currently being improved, so I would like you to try it before you bring it to space.

Space food research saves the earth

So far, we have talked about the issues and possibilities related to "food" when assuming a long-term stay in space, but in reality, space food is not the only issue related to "food" in the future. In the future, it is said that in addition to space food, it will be necessary to tackle issues such as food shortages due to the increase in the global population, natural disasters and disaster prevention foods associated with them.

So how do you tackle these challenges? In fact, research on space food is said to be useful in solving these problems. In particular, the insect food introduced today makes up for the shortage of protein sources due to population growth, and Euglena promotes global warming countermeasures through photosynthesis.

How should we realize sustainable "food"? This is an important theme when thinking about future "food" and space food. We will continue Euglena, and contribute to the realization of sustainable “food”.

* This article has been revised and posted based on the event coverage of Euglena