Fungi can help solve several problems in fish farming. They can make plant-based fish feed more nutritious and easier to digest, boost fish immune systems and disease resistance without antibiotics, help fish feed float better in water, and clean up polluted water from fish farms. This makes aquaculture more sustainable and environmentally friendly while reducing costs for farmers.
Fermentation is an ancient food preparation method that science is rediscovering as a powerful tool for making foods more nutritious and safer to eat. By using specific bacteria and fungi to ferment various foods like soybeans, grains, and vegetables, researchers have found that fermentation increases the availability of vitamins and minerals our bodies can absorb, reduces harmful compounds in foods, and helps preserve them naturally. This technology also offers sustainable solutions by making use of overlooked crops and reducing food waste, all while potentially lowering salt content in traditionally salty foods.
Researchers developed a method to turn soybean whey (a waste product from tofu and soybean protein production) into delicious plant-based yogurt. By removing salt through electrodialysis and concentrating the whey, then fermenting it with yogurt bacteria, they eliminated the unpleasant beany flavors and harmful compounds that make raw soybean products unappetizing. The resulting yogurt has a creamy texture, pleasant flavor, and better nutrition compared to untreated soybean whey, offering an environmentally friendly way to use agricultural byproducts.