The Potential Role of Iceland in Northern Europe’s Protein Self-Sufficiency : Feasibility Study of Large-Scale Production of Spirulina in a Novel Energy-Food System
Publisher Copyright: © 2022 by the authors. Europe is dependent on protein-rich crop imports to meet domestic food demand. This has moved the topic of sustainable protein self-sufficiency up the policy agenda. The current study assesses the feasibility of protein self-sufficiency in Iceland, and its...
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Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11815/4407 https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12010038 |
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ftopinvisindi:oai:opinvisindi.is:20.500.11815/4407 2023-11-12T04:16:57+01:00 The Potential Role of Iceland in Northern Europe’s Protein Self-Sufficiency : Feasibility Study of Large-Scale Production of Spirulina in a Novel Energy-Food System Tzachor, Asaf Richards, Catherine E. Smidt-Jensen, Asger Skúlason, Arnar Þór Ramel, Alfons Geirsdóttir, Margrét Faculty of Food Science and Nutrition 2022-12-22 1343134 https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11815/4407 https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12010038 en eng Foods; 12(1) http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85148019911&partnerID=8YFLogxK Tzachor , A , Richards , C E , Smidt-Jensen , A , Skúlason , A Þ , Ramel , A & Geirsdóttir , M 2022 , ' The Potential Role of Iceland in Northern Europe’s Protein Self-Sufficiency : Feasibility Study of Large-Scale Production of Spirulina in a Novel Energy-Food System ' , Foods , vol. 12 , no. 1 , 38 . https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12010038 2304-8158 154938584 6007da7c-9e9d-42b0-b4e3-f72373af9588 85148019911 36613252 unpaywall: 10.3390/foods12010038 https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11815/4407 doi:10.3390/foods12010038 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess algae dependency Europe food security Iceland protein self-sufficiency Spirulina Food Science Microbiology Health (social science) Health Professions (miscellaneous) Plant Science /dk/atira/pure/researchoutput/researchoutputtypes/contributiontojournal/article 2022 ftopinvisindi https://doi.org/20.500.11815/440710.3390/foods12010038 2023-11-01T23:55:29Z Publisher Copyright: © 2022 by the authors. Europe is dependent on protein-rich crop imports to meet domestic food demand. This has moved the topic of sustainable protein self-sufficiency up the policy agenda. The current study assesses the feasibility of protein self-sufficiency in Iceland, and its capacity to meet Northern Europe’s demand, based on industrial-scale cultivation of Spirulina in novel production units. Production units currently operating in Iceland, and laboratory-derived nutritional profile for the Spirulina cultivated, provide the basis for a theoretical protein self-sufficiency model. Integrating installed and potentially installed energy generation data, the model elaborates six production scale-up scenarios. Annual biomass produced is compared with recommended dietary allowance figures for protein and essential amino acids to determine whether Northern Europe’s population demands can be met in 2030. Results show that Iceland could be protein self-sufficient under the most conservative scenario, with 20,925 tonnes of Spirulina produced using 15% of currently installed capacity. In a greater allocation of energy capacity used by heavy industry, Iceland could additionally meet the needs of Lithuania, or Latvia, Estonia, Jersey, Isle of Man, Guernsey, and Faroe Islands. Under the most ambitious scenario utilizing planned energy projects, Iceland could support itself plus Denmark, or Finland, or Norway, or Ireland with up to 242,366 tonnes of biomass. On a protein-per-protein basis, each kilogram of Spirulina consumed instead of beef could save 0.315 tonnes CO2-eq. Under the most ambitious scenario, this yields annual savings of 75.1 million tonnes CO2-eq or 7.3% of quarterly European greenhouse gas emissions. Finally, practicalities of production scale-up are discussed. Peer reviewed Article in Journal/Newspaper Faroe Islands Iceland Opin vísindi (Iceland) Faroe Islands Norway Guernsey ENVELOPE(-68.267,-68.267,-69.317,-69.317) Foods 12 1 38 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Opin vísindi (Iceland) |
op_collection_id |
ftopinvisindi |
language |
English |
topic |
algae dependency Europe food security Iceland protein self-sufficiency Spirulina Food Science Microbiology Health (social science) Health Professions (miscellaneous) Plant Science |
spellingShingle |
algae dependency Europe food security Iceland protein self-sufficiency Spirulina Food Science Microbiology Health (social science) Health Professions (miscellaneous) Plant Science Tzachor, Asaf Richards, Catherine E. Smidt-Jensen, Asger Skúlason, Arnar Þór Ramel, Alfons Geirsdóttir, Margrét The Potential Role of Iceland in Northern Europe’s Protein Self-Sufficiency : Feasibility Study of Large-Scale Production of Spirulina in a Novel Energy-Food System |
topic_facet |
algae dependency Europe food security Iceland protein self-sufficiency Spirulina Food Science Microbiology Health (social science) Health Professions (miscellaneous) Plant Science |
description |
Publisher Copyright: © 2022 by the authors. Europe is dependent on protein-rich crop imports to meet domestic food demand. This has moved the topic of sustainable protein self-sufficiency up the policy agenda. The current study assesses the feasibility of protein self-sufficiency in Iceland, and its capacity to meet Northern Europe’s demand, based on industrial-scale cultivation of Spirulina in novel production units. Production units currently operating in Iceland, and laboratory-derived nutritional profile for the Spirulina cultivated, provide the basis for a theoretical protein self-sufficiency model. Integrating installed and potentially installed energy generation data, the model elaborates six production scale-up scenarios. Annual biomass produced is compared with recommended dietary allowance figures for protein and essential amino acids to determine whether Northern Europe’s population demands can be met in 2030. Results show that Iceland could be protein self-sufficient under the most conservative scenario, with 20,925 tonnes of Spirulina produced using 15% of currently installed capacity. In a greater allocation of energy capacity used by heavy industry, Iceland could additionally meet the needs of Lithuania, or Latvia, Estonia, Jersey, Isle of Man, Guernsey, and Faroe Islands. Under the most ambitious scenario utilizing planned energy projects, Iceland could support itself plus Denmark, or Finland, or Norway, or Ireland with up to 242,366 tonnes of biomass. On a protein-per-protein basis, each kilogram of Spirulina consumed instead of beef could save 0.315 tonnes CO2-eq. Under the most ambitious scenario, this yields annual savings of 75.1 million tonnes CO2-eq or 7.3% of quarterly European greenhouse gas emissions. Finally, practicalities of production scale-up are discussed. Peer reviewed |
author2 |
Faculty of Food Science and Nutrition |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Tzachor, Asaf Richards, Catherine E. Smidt-Jensen, Asger Skúlason, Arnar Þór Ramel, Alfons Geirsdóttir, Margrét |
author_facet |
Tzachor, Asaf Richards, Catherine E. Smidt-Jensen, Asger Skúlason, Arnar Þór Ramel, Alfons Geirsdóttir, Margrét |
author_sort |
Tzachor, Asaf |
title |
The Potential Role of Iceland in Northern Europe’s Protein Self-Sufficiency : Feasibility Study of Large-Scale Production of Spirulina in a Novel Energy-Food System |
title_short |
The Potential Role of Iceland in Northern Europe’s Protein Self-Sufficiency : Feasibility Study of Large-Scale Production of Spirulina in a Novel Energy-Food System |
title_full |
The Potential Role of Iceland in Northern Europe’s Protein Self-Sufficiency : Feasibility Study of Large-Scale Production of Spirulina in a Novel Energy-Food System |
title_fullStr |
The Potential Role of Iceland in Northern Europe’s Protein Self-Sufficiency : Feasibility Study of Large-Scale Production of Spirulina in a Novel Energy-Food System |
title_full_unstemmed |
The Potential Role of Iceland in Northern Europe’s Protein Self-Sufficiency : Feasibility Study of Large-Scale Production of Spirulina in a Novel Energy-Food System |
title_sort |
potential role of iceland in northern europe’s protein self-sufficiency : feasibility study of large-scale production of spirulina in a novel energy-food system |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11815/4407 https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12010038 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-68.267,-68.267,-69.317,-69.317) |
geographic |
Faroe Islands Norway Guernsey |
geographic_facet |
Faroe Islands Norway Guernsey |
genre |
Faroe Islands Iceland |
genre_facet |
Faroe Islands Iceland |
op_relation |
Foods; 12(1) http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85148019911&partnerID=8YFLogxK Tzachor , A , Richards , C E , Smidt-Jensen , A , Skúlason , A Þ , Ramel , A & Geirsdóttir , M 2022 , ' The Potential Role of Iceland in Northern Europe’s Protein Self-Sufficiency : Feasibility Study of Large-Scale Production of Spirulina in a Novel Energy-Food System ' , Foods , vol. 12 , no. 1 , 38 . https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12010038 2304-8158 154938584 6007da7c-9e9d-42b0-b4e3-f72373af9588 85148019911 36613252 unpaywall: 10.3390/foods12010038 https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11815/4407 doi:10.3390/foods12010038 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/20.500.11815/440710.3390/foods12010038 |
container_title |
Foods |
container_volume |
12 |
container_issue |
1 |
container_start_page |
38 |
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1782333979546877952 |