Plant-based food, plant-based milk and plant-based eggs are the hot topics nowadays. It has been proven that plant-based alternatives are the future options for a meat-based diet due to the adverse effect of livestock farming on our health as well as the environment. These alternatives are known to increase the greenhouse gas emission, improper land and water usage, deforestation, antibiotic resistance, and risk of animal-origin diseases in humans.
But what about seafood? Does it have any adverse impact on the environment as it is in the case of meat? Is it safe to consume seafood for a long duration?
Well, it is a fact that increasing rate of seafood consumption is one of the major factors for decreasing the biodiversity of oceans. Unlike animal farming, seafood doesn’t have a direct impact on greenhouse emission but it is responsible for many endangered marine lives. Harmful fishing practices and overfishing are the reasons of global fisheries depletion, damaged marine habitats, and destabilized marine ecosystems. Harmful fishing practices are responsible for the damage of coral reefs, which harbor almost 25% of ocean fishes, and take decades to recover. Moreover, bycatch (unintended, unwanted catch of marine species while catching fish) also contributes to the depletion of marine species. Aquaculture was assumed to be a healthy alternative to prevent unnecessary bycatch but it leads to various other adverse effects. The concentration of animal waste, stress, and aggression due to overcrowding, chances of infection, and the emergence of multi-drug bacterial resistance are few reasons that make the aquaculture unsustainable for the long term (1).
Beyond this, consumption of seafood for a long period is detrimental for health due to consumption of marine toxins, pathogens, heavy metals, and environmental pollutants. Although control over pathogens can be taken care of by safe processing methods, heavy metals especially mercury is a point of concern. According to Rasmussen RS et al. (2005), mercury released from natural and anthropogenic sources can be converted into MeHg (Methylmercury) by aquatic microorganisms, which bio-accumulate through the aquatic food chain, results in a higher level of MeHg in fishes which at the end, are consumed by humans (2). Since the methylmercury is not excreted and gets absorbed in the body, it leads to detrimental effects on the nervous system as well as fetus health in pregnant females (3). It has been shown to have not much adverse effects on healthy adults but have serious effects on fetus and neonatal.
So, what’s the alternative now? How can anyone stop crave about this tasty seafood?
The best alternative is to go for either plant-based seafood or clean food. Both alternatives are a sustainable option from an environmental point of view as well as from a health point of view as it provides sufficient nutrients without any harmful toxins.
The growth of plant-based seafood sector is less in comparison to meat and dairy, maybe due to less knowledge about the adverse effects of seafood consumption and the availability of no proper alternative. Like other products, plant-based seafood requires the mixing of various plant-origin ingredients in a way to obtain a product, having taste, texture, and nutrients similar to seafood. One of the major limitations in the production of plant-based seafood is the presence of ω-3 fatty acids. Since seafood is known for the good amount of EPA and DHA, a plant-based alternative should compete similarly. Such fortification is still not feasible as ω-3 fatty acids are majorly available in seafood and algae only. Algal oil can be utilized for this purpose but due to high cost, this is not a preferred method.
Another limitation in the promotion of plant-based seafood is the texture. The extruders are available to mimic the texture of meat by using plant proteins but this technique is not feasible to get the flaky texture of fish. The texture of seafood is very different from meat products, henceforth requires specially designed equipment for such processing.
Clean seafood is a sustainable alternative for the seafood present in the market. It is a process of developing products in the laboratory by using cell culture where the cell from fish is utilized to grow a similar product in the bio-reactor. Although the product can’t be looked like an intact fish, it has the same taste and texture as fish.
There are many start-ups in the market that have come up with their seafood alternatives. For example: Good Catch (flakes fish products such as tuna, crab cakes, and fish burgers), Terramino Foods (salmon burger), and Ocean Hugger (Sushi) are few companies, formed since 2016, launched their products in the market. Moreover, Tofuna Fysh is working on utilizing marinated jackfruit to mimic the flaky texture of tuna fish.
Analyzing the market, it can be understood that there is a lot of hidden potential in the sector of plant-based seafood. One can think about designing the equipment to achieve the fish-like texture or different formulation for similar taste as seafood. Biotechnologists can find out the most efficient way to produce the clean seafood by using cell culture at lab scale as well as commercial scale. Contributions from investors are also required to support the researches and launch of the products. Collaborative work is very essential to prevent harm to our environment as well as to our health.
References:
An Ocean of Opportunity: Plant-based and Cell-based seafood for sustainable oceans without sacrifice, published by The Good Food Institute
Rasmussen RS, nettleton JA, Morrissey MT. 2005. A review of mercury in seafood: special focus on tuna. J Aquat Prod Tech 14(4):71-100
Rosalee S. Hellberg, Christina A. Mireles DeWitt, Michael T. Morrissey. 2012. Risk-Benefit Analysis of Seafood Consumption: A Review. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, Volume 11, Issue 5, Spet. 2012, Pages 490-517
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