The hemp plant is one of the most versatile plants on earth, with humans having made use of the hemp plant for centuries for many purposes.
As hemp advocates will be quick to point out, the hemp plant has the ability to clothe, feed, and in many cases heal. It’s a truly amazing crop.
Hemp grows much faster than most trees and can even be used to decontaminate soil, especially soil that is contaminated with heavy metals.
Food-products made from hemp are particularly popular among consumers, including hemp milk and hemp seed.
The results of a recent study could one day lead to hemp being in even more things that we eat.
Evolving Consumer Demands
Many consumers are becoming more conscious about what they eat, and understandably so. What we eat plays a very important role in our overall health.
Sustainability is another major concern, and so it is no coincidence that consumers are increasingly looking for sustainable meat products.
Sustainable meat is specifically created via regenerative practices and processes with the goal of lowering meat’s carbon footprint.
Producing sustainable meat involves the addition of various ingredients for storage purposes to help preserve the meat, among other things. Hemp is one of those ingredients.
Hemp Cake As A Sustainable Meat Ingredient?
Researchers recently conducted a study in which they examined hemp cake, a by-product of cold pressing oil from hemp seeds, as an alternative ingredient in sustainable meat.
They specifically looked at hemp cake’s impact “on the physicochemical and textural properties, oxidation, and sensory acceptance of cooked and vacuum-packed meatballs during refrigerated storage”
“The addition of 7.4% hemp cake enhanced the amount of dry matter and reduced the content of water. Lightness (L*) and redness (a*) values reduced significantly with higher levels of hemp supplementation.” the researchers stated.
“The results indicate that hemp cake, a material considered mainly as waste, may be destined for food purposes and be an alternative ingredient for the production of sustainable meat products.” the authors concluded.
