Free Republic

The yellow mealworm “shows great promise as an alternative source of animal protein,” according to a research article published Monday in the Journal of Insects as Food and Feed. The world population hit 7.7 billion last year and is expected to reach 8.5 billion in 2030, according to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Researchers from Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis and insect company Beta Hatch Inc. found that the mealworms, which have been considered a pest in the past, can be used as food for animals and humans, and that their waste makes a great organic fertilizer....

One potential alternative food source – both for humans and the animals we eat – is algae. Humans have eaten macroalgae, like wakame and nori seaweed, for thousands of years. But recently attention has turned to the nutritional and environmental potential of their microscopic cousins. Microalgae are tiny protein-rich organisms found in both fresh and seawater. They typically contain essential amino acids, essential fatty acids, including omega-3, omega-6 along with omega-7, along with vitamins, such as A, D and E. The nutritional content varies depending on the type of microalgae, but two currently dominate the market for human consumption. The...