Feeding the World

Bacteria themselves can be eaten as food though this seems unpleasant to most people. In many parts of the world there is not so much a shortage of available food, as a shortage of protein – some bacteria comprise up to 50% protein and in many cases it is what nutritionists call ‘complete’ protein – this means it contains all the essential amino acids. ICI actually marketed a bacterial feed called Pruteen, extremely high in proteins – originally it was destined for the human marked but this idea failed and it is now sold as a commercial feed for farm animals.

 

One of the advantages of bacteria as food is that they can often be fed on waste products (eg methane gas) or widely available, non-protein, foodstuffs such as molasses (treacle).

 

An example of a bacterial food that is consumed by (at least some) people is cyanobacteria – this is a type of bacteria that sometimes grows into long filaments – these are removed from the salt water in which they grow and are left to dry in the sun into ‘mats’ of fibres that can be made into a type of biscuit. One such cyanobacterium is Spirulina, originating in the salty lakes of Chad and Mexico. ‘Health food’ stores sometimes stock this food.


 

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