Novel protein sources for use as human food in wet tropical regions

The people living in tropical rain forests are among the least well-nourished in the world. Their main staples (cassava, yams, bananas, sugarcane, etc.) are excellent sources of carbohydrate, but protein deficiency is acute. It should be possible to increase production of green vegetables quickly, but difficulties can be foreseen with protein-rich seed crops. Leaf crops and coconuts grow well in the wet tropics, but they cannot be used directly in quantity as protein concentrates in human food. Research has shown that palatable protein of good nutritional value can be extracted from them; this work should now move from the research to the development phase. At the same time, various agricultural products and by-products should be studied as carbon sources on which edible microorganisms could be grown with the addition of a source of N. Protein concentrates made from these 3 sources resemble those made from groundnuts, soybeans or fish in that they have unfamiliar appearances; their flavors are likewise unfamiliar. They will, therefore, have no immediate appeal to the consumer so care must be taken to devise suitable forms of presentation before marketing them. Work is urgently needed on the related problems perfecting the methods for making these novel proteins, continuing the assessment of their nutritional value, and devising methods for presenting them on the table. All should be carried out at the same institute, and new institutes dedicated to producing protein concentrates from local products for local consumption are needed in wet tropical areas.