Food waste represents nearly 10% of household waste in France. In order to reduce their impact as much as possible, these researchers used a mushroom to transform them into a delicious aroma of wild strawberries.
What if food waste could have a second life? Many restaurants already offer “waste-free” meals where all the ingredients are used in full, a great initiative that seeks to fight against waste. But organic waste is still very present in the food industry, among others. So as part of this investigation, conducted by researchers from the University of Giessen (Germany), the scientists used blackcurrant pomace, residue from the production of fruit juice. The latter often ends up in the dumpster, creating a waste of size.
But by mixing it with an Asian mushroom, Wolfiporia cocos, the researchers managed to create a strong-tasting aroma of wild strawberries. This find was made possible by the very special characteristics of this mushroom. Used for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine, this mushroom is known to scientists for its ability to produce enzymes that destroy organic waste.
Creating flavors with waste: a win-win bet?
According to the study published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, a group of testers unanimously chose the natural aroma from the mushroom rather than the chemical aromas already present on the agri-food market. This success is not, however, unprecedented, indeed Scottish researchers had achieved the feat of producing an aroma with a taste similar to vanilla by using several bacteria and… plastic bottles. A real little stroke of chemical genius which is of great interest to the world of agrifood.
Indeed, the latter is confronted with two major problems. The first is that the production of artificial flavors is very expensive, this is especially the case for wild strawberries, which are very rare in nature and therefore difficult to harvest. But the food industry also suffers from an image of a major polluter responsible for a significant portion of the waste on Earth. In order to reduce its impact on the planet, this industry, which is one of the most powerful in the world, could decide to turn to these new aroma creation processes.
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