Meat the alternatives

Food is central to the promotion of health and wellbeing. This is why fresh Food Science and Technology graduate Marcus TING decided to explore novel methods in his Final Year Project (FYP) in the food and nutrition scene.

Marcus’ FYP focused on the development of extruded meat analogues – alternative meat with similar taste, texture and appearance of natural meat – using plant protein and algal Auxenochlorella protothecoides biomass with functional characterisation of raw materials.

This FYP, Marcus believes, is timely, as more consumers are looking to sustainable meat analogues, given the environmental and adverse health effects associated with the intake of animal meat products.

Marcus utilised high moisture extrusion processing technology, where high temperature and pressure are applied to denature plant proteins and realign them into desired meat fibre-like structures. He also characterised the raw materials, such as mung bean and pea, to optimise the extrusion process and incorporated the microalgae species into the protein meat analogues.

The FYP allowed Marcus to develop his critical thinking skills, interpersonal skills and to adapt to changes quickly. “My FYP was a small part of a huge project with many other teams involved. I conducted my research in a way that is meaningful and relevant to other teams so that the results I produce can be used by them as well,” he says.

Marcus also took on a selection of courses from the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, including one on understanding consumerism. “Even until now, I utilise the lessons learnt from this course to understand the reasons underlying food choices.”

In land-scarce Singapore, traditional food production methods are challenging and the use of microalgae, which requires significantly less land for cultivation, is a novel yet meaningful way of addressing food security and reducing our reliance on food imports which are affected during pandemics and global uncertainty. 

Marcus says, “The investigation into the feasibility of microalgae as a source of alternative protein will be a step towards more sustainable food systems and greater food resilience.”

Marcus is now pursuing a PhD in Food Science and Technology and eventually hopes to mentor his own FYP students.

Watch his interview here.

Note: Video was taken when Marcus was in Year 4