[뜨는 직업] ① Leading the way to solve the’food shortage’, food developer for edible insects

Input 2021.01.01 04:00

How many occupations can you be sure that your current job will remain the same in 10 years? There will be few. Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), big data and biotechnology. The world is changing too fast. The corona crisis has accelerated this wave of change. As skills and perceptions change, jobs will continue to change, especially promising ones. Through interviews with experts from various fields, Chosun Biz investigated the jobs that are expected to become promising jobs in 10 years. [편집자 주]

53.9 kg. This is the meat consumption per capita as of 2018, recently published by the National Statistical Office. Pork was the most consumed at 27kg, followed by chicken (14.2kg) and beef (14.2kg). Meat consumption worldwide is steadily increasing. However, in this process, the problem of environmental destruction is also growing. This is because excessive methane gas is emitted during the breeding process and green areas such as grasslands are reduced.

One of the alternatives is’edible insects’. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, edible insects contain up to 77% higher protein than general meat foods such as beef, while the feed required to produce the same amount of protein is about a sixth. It also emits less greenhouse gas.

The market is growing in anticipation. It is estimated to grow by 40% over five years from 2019. According to the industry, the domestic market is also observed to have nearly doubled in 2020 from 168 billion won in 2011.

As edible insects emerge as an alternative food, product development is also in full swing. Edible insect food developers are running on the front line. The job of edible insect food developers is not much different from that of general food developers. Take the raw materials and adjust the cooking method or content to make a prototype. After that, it goes through a process of testing for taste and product, leading to commercialization.

As the research of edible insect food developers became active, the related product line was also diversified. Previously, health foods in the form of pills or powder were mainly used, but everyday foods such as cereal and pasta noodles are also available. The Jeonnam Agricultural Research and Development Institute announced on the 23rd that it developed a product containing insect powder in dark chocolate and fish cake, resulting in an increase in antioxidant activity and protein content. It is said that the taste of the Italian cookie Biscotti was added with insect powder.

In the meantime, research to commercialize products using prototypes such as’mealworm stir-fried’ is also in full swing, beyond the use of crushed and dried edible insects. In particular, the market is expanding with products for companion animals.

The biggest concern for edible insect food developers is their rejection. In fact, there are cases where shops selling edible insects opened in the metropolitan area and then closed after a year. Edible insects The topic of food developers is how to change people’s perception of edible insects from the past to the present. It is in the spotlight as it is regarded as the food of the future, but there is still a feeling of rejection of’eating bugs’.

This means not only developing delicious food, but also paying attention to distribution and planning aspects. In the same context, the brown goosebumps, commonly referred to as mealworms, were nicknamed’Gosoae’, and the white-spotted flowers were nicknamed’Bengyi’.

Mi-ae Kim, an agricultural researcher at the Rural Development Administration, said, “Compared to adults, children are relatively less resistant to edible insects, so they are actively developing edible insect foods for children.” ‘Like, star products should come out.’

Boa Ryu, the chief operating officer of the food tech company’Future Food Lab’, said, “It is more important to have the ability to solve the rejection of edible insect food at the same time rather than a specific department or certification.”

A sense of the global market is also required. According to KOTRA, the population that eats edible insects is estimated to be 2.5 billion people worldwide. On the other hand, in Europe and Western countries, there is still a lot of resistance to edible insects. This means that there is a need to come up with a strategy to develop food for edible insects suitable for the culture.

In the case of Korea, the market size is not yet large, so there are not many companies with large scale compared to general food companies. An industry insider said, “In the future, the growth potential of the market is clear,” but “It is necessary to consider whether it is possible to study for a long time before selecting a job and producing results.”