Flour Now Being Made From Mushrooms Instead of Wheat?
Climate change is threatening the viability of wheat, this has prompted companies like Hyfé Foods to look for alternative means to make flour including utilizing mushrooms.
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As climate change rages on (and some folks continue to deny it) the toll on the Earth is large. In addition to severe drought and deadly heat waves, some of our most precious food crops that create flour are in danger. Not to mention that overall food prices are increasing leading to even more global unrest.
We are running out of options to sustain ourselves. Unless we make some big changes to walk a little more lightly. If only there was a guy … a fun guy to set things right ….Well, there are fungi that can help.
In addition to using cauliflower for rice, mushrooms are made into flour to produce types of bread, pasta, and more. No flour needed! All kidding aside, according to the BBC companies are finding success in turning to alternative types of raw materials to create the foods we know and love.
Mushrooms To The Rescue
Ok, so we know mushrooms won’t fix all our problems when it comes to global warming, but they sure can help. One new company, Hyfé Foods, eschews the flour and uses the root network of mushrooms, called mycelium, to make an alternative to wheat flour.
It’s gluten-free, extremely low carb, and also high in protein and high in fiber. Pretty much perfect, right? According to experts in global climate and farming, the fact that humans have depended so greatly on one type of crop species–wheat–to create flour in the same place for so long is not sustainable.
This practice, known as monoculture farming leaves our wheat incredibly susceptible to drought and disease. Many researchers believe that having more diverse agriculture is the way forward. The more ways to create flour, the better!
Big Positives For Fungi
Fungi are used to make nutritious and delicious foods without carbs. Rejoice! But, how is it made, exactly? While the company isn’t sharing trade secrets, it has revealed that they have designed fungi farming using a lot less water-intensive than typically seen.
Fungi require a lot of water, which is a precious resource, and sugar, which is expensive. So, it would seem that at first glance fungi is not a solid option. But, the founder of the company is a chemical engineer, so she just figured out another way to remove dependence on flour to create food.
The firm uses waste sugar water, a byproduct of food manufacturing. This “upcycling” system of food creation is a genius way to create something that can help save this planet by using a method that is doing the same thing!
As humans have had the desire to eat different food alternatives (like cauliflower instead of rice, or meatless substitutes instead of animal meat, or cutting our flour-based foods entirely), now, it is no longer just personal preference or a way to cut fattening carbs. It’s a way to truly make a difference in the future.
As Tell Me Best just reported, butter costs are sky high and there is a butter shortage. As time marches on, we’re going to have to figure out new ways of making food–and from different sources.
