New research programme to study innovative methods of producing alternative proteins
A new research programme looking to use innovative methods to produce alternative proteins was launched on 28 April. The five-year programme, known as Proteins4Singapore, will be led by TUMCREATE, the Technical University of Munich's (TUM) multidisciplinary research platform which is located in Singapore, and will tap expertise in material science, process engineering and food chemistry from TUM, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Institute of Technology and A*STAR. The programme will explore sustainable methods of extracting proteins from a variety of sources, including converting waste from aquaculture, such as prawn shells and excess fish feed. This comes as Singapore looks to produce 30 per cent of its nutritional needs locally by 2030 in a bid to reduce reliance on food imports in the event of supply disruptions. Alternative proteins such as plant-based and cultured meat could also contribute to this goal.