In the past two years, the technique of artificial meat found by European and American companies has spread to the world, arousing wide concern in the fields of scientific research, market, capital, and government. Thereby, the 2019 Future Food Forum: Plant Protein Meat and Cell Cultured Meat Manufacturing Technology Forum, which was sponsored by the Chinese Institute of food science and technology and hosted by Jiangnan University, was held at Huayi Hotel in Wuxi on November 22, 2019. More than 300 domestic experts and scholars who engaged in relevant research, product development, equipment manufacturing, and marketing in the field of artificial meat attended the meeting.

At 8: 30 a.m., the meeting first held an opening ceremony for the center of future food science. Chen Jian (President of Jiangnan University) and Ms. Meng Suhe (President of the Chinese Institute of Food Science and Technology) delivered speeches respectively, introducing the mission, vision and development plan of the center. Later, 13 top scholars in the field of artificial meat in China elaborated from different angles on the two directions of artificial meat, one is the plant protein meat and the other one is the cell-cultured meat. For the purpose of sustainable development of human beings, health and animal protection, food with a similar taste of the meat can be manufactured by using plant sources or in vitro culture of animal cells. The two technical routes are different, but each has its own market demand. Judging from the current development history, technical theory, and integrity of industrial chain, laws, and regulations, the substitution of plant for meat can rapidly form industrialization.

Prof. Steven F. Chen brought us a brand-new concept of substitute protein meat, under the title of The Optimal Plan for Future Food: Algal replace the protein. First, as the core raw material of artificial meat, protein is abundant in microalgae, with prominent health function and high production efficiency. The protein content of microalgae can exceed 60%, which is much higher than that of bean protein. Moreover, the protein output of microalgae can be increased much more than that of plant protein in the unit area of land. Secondly, functional substances in microalgae, such as polyunsaturated fatty acids (DHA, EPA), can make artificial meat become functional meat which is beneficial to our health. The abundant carotenoids in microalgae can also be used to inhibit AGEs, which will generate in the meat heating process, and improve the safety of the artificial meat. Microalgae can not only be developed by photosynthesis but also be produced by fermentation using organic carbon sources. Therefore, a closed and controllable production mode can avoid the migration and pollution of antibiotics and harmful elements, making microalgae become a truly industrially manufactured and safe raw material of artificial meat.

Microalgae give birth to life on earth. Similarly, microalgae replace protein artificial meat can meet people's expectations for delicious, healthy, environment-friendly and animal protection, which is also the preferred food plan in the future.