New synthetic protein made of fungus stars in vegan ice creams and vegan ‘meat’

New synthetic protein made of fungus stars in vegan ice creams and vegan ‘meat’

2023-08-17

A new synthetic protein made of fungus has been unveiled by food scientists. The team from Hungkuang University in Taichung are excited about the many different uses of their new vegan protein. It can replace animal products in ice cream and bread, and even form vegan “meat.” We spoke to some of the development team to find out what makes this new option attractive.

There’s nothing like a sweet and tasty ice cream on a sizzling summer day. These vegan ice creams are irresistible – you might never guess they contain no dairy whatsoever.

Hungkuang University has teamed up with industry partners to produce these vegan ice creams. They use a fungus protein to replace dairy. The same innovation can also be used in baked goods.

Press as hard as you like. This loaf of bread will just spring right back up. The fungus protein provides “softness,” and extends the expiry date of the bread by two days.

Chen Chao-ming
Hungkuang University Food Science Dept. student
Nowadays people want health and nutrition. Plain toasting bread is a very trendy ingredient, and I think it works really well in this.

Lin Li-yun
Hungkuang University Food Science Dept. professor
The fungus contains lots of protein and fiber, so it can be used as a substrate for meat.

The protein can be used to create vegan “meat,” as well as sweet treats and breads. Its chewy texture is considered “meaty,” making it an interesting new option for foodies who want to take the animals off their plates.

"真菌蛋白"取代蛋和奶產學合作推全素冰淇淋

2023-08-17

素食者有福了！弘光科大食品科技系，和業界產學合作，透過富含蛋白質及膳食纖維的「真菌蛋白」，來取代蛋、奶，研發出口感綿密的全素冰淇淋，炎炎夏日來一口，讓人透心涼，另外研究團隊，也以相同手法製成生吐司及素肉，增加Q彈口感。

炎炎夏日，香甜濃厚的冰淇淋讓人一口接著一口，但不說真的不知道，這裡頭竟然完全不含蛋和奶，素食者也能吃。

弘光科大產學合作，以"真菌蛋白"取代蛋奶，不但做出全素冰淇淋，相同技術，也用在烘焙產品。

大力一壓，吐司立刻回彈到原本的形狀，"真菌蛋白"增加柔軟度，還能讓吐司多延長2天有效期限。

[[弘光科技大學食品科技系研究生陳昭銘]]
“現在的人訴求健康、養生，生吐司也是現在最夯的食材，用在這上面，我覺得效果很好”

[[弘光科技大學食品科技系教授林麗雲]]
“這個(真菌蛋白)菌絲體，因為含高蛋白、高纖維，可以當成肉的基質來使用”

除了甜品、吐司，真菌蛋白也能製成素肉，吃起來充滿嚼勁，口感猶如一般肉品，未來饕客們，享用美食上也多了新選擇。

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Vice President Lai Ching-te touched down in San Francisco on Thursday at 7 a.m., Taiwan time. Upon landing, he was greeted by AIT Chair Laura Rosenberger, who accompanied him to a banquet with Taiwanese Americans. The event was also attended by high-profile political figures, including former Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and the mayor of Phoenix.

After departing Paraguay, Vice President Lai Ching-te stopped over in the U.S. once again. He landed in San Francisco at 7 a.m. Thursday, Taiwan time, and was welcomed by AIT Chair Laura Rosenberger.

Rosenberger had not met Lai during his first transit due to attending her sister’s wedding. But this time around, she boarded Lai’s plane in a welcome on par with previous visits. Lai and Rosenberger then headed to a banquet with overseas Taiwanese. Along the way, they passed a group of protesters holding Chinese flags.

Although some protested the visit, many more were happy to see Lai.

Outside the venue, a crowd of people cheered for Lai. Inside, about 700 Taiwanese Americans eagerly waited for the VP to show up.

After stepping into the hall, Lai was quickly lost in the crowd, with participants rushing to embrace him.

Lai Ching-te
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I will do my utmost to use peace as my beacon and democracy as my compass to lead Taiwan forward.

Laura Rosenberger
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And our commitment to help Taiwan’s self-defense capacity is rock-solid, just as the Taiwan-U.S. friendship is unwavering.

At the banquet, two guests caught media attention. One was Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, who visited Taiwan in July. Speaking at the event, she said she was delighted with TSMC’s US$40 billion investment in her city. The other guest was former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano.

Janet Napolitano
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I love Taiwan, and we are proud to call you in Taiwan true friends and partners in this wonderful experiment that is free enterprise, freedom and democracy.

According to political analysts, Lai has used his trip to show he’s ready to lead. They say his welcome by U.S. officials is a sharp rebuke to claims he’s mistrusted by Washington.

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Presidential Office denies rumor that Taiwan will pay for Paraguay villas

As Vice President Lai Ching-te wraps up his trip, a new rumor is getting traction online, concerning his time in Paraguay. A social media post claims that Lai agreed to spend more than NT$10 billion on social housing in Paraguay. The post alleges that during his Paraguay state visit, he signed a deal to build single-family villas. But the Presidential Office denies the claim, saying that Lai signed nothing during his visit. It says the rumor is part of a disinformation campaign meant to undermine Taiwan’s diplomatic efforts.

In a post on the PTT online forum, the title reads “Another NT$10 billion for Paraguay to build social housing.” The post claims that during Vice President Lai Ching-te’s visit to Paraguay, he signed an agreement with President Santiago Pena, pledging to invest US$320 million -- or about NT$10.1 billion -- to build social housing in Paraguay over the next five years. The post contains a photo of the supposed agreement, as well as images of the single-family “villas” that Taiwan would allegedly build in Paraguay. The forum user called on Lai to bring Paraguay’s housing justice to Taiwan. A DPP lawmaker and the Presidential Office have denounced the post as disinformation.

Liu Shih-fang
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In the supposed agreement, the Spanish text says that the total amount of cooperation funds is US$150 million, but the numerals say US$320 million. It’s sloppy work. The document was also signed in December 2023. As you all know, it’s only August now. So what are we looking at here? And the signatures are all forged.

Lin Yu-chan
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The fact is that during his state visit, Vice President Lai Ching-te did not sign any documents with the government of Paraguay. The pictures and signatures in the rumor were forged with the intention of spreading disinformation to confuse the people of Taiwan. It is clearly a deliberate attempt to attack the government. After a preliminary investigation, it has been determined that this is part of a systematic disinformation campaign carried out jointly by foreign and domestic actors to undermine Taiwan’s diplomatic efforts.

Jeff Liu
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The foreign ministry’s stance on disinformation is just like our stance on sexual harassment: zero tolerance. The ministry reported the incident to police immediately, and the Criminal Investigation Bureau has received all the relevant documents provided by the foreign ministry.

The foreign ministry urged the public not to believe or share the post with others. It said that the key to fighting cognitive warfare was to enhance one’s own awareness and knowledge.

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The dining sector is in full expansion mode after three lean years due to the pandemic. To drive recruitment, the Chun Shui Tang teahouse hiked wages by 8% to 12% in March. It also rolled out flexible work schedules, with an eye on recruiting middle-aged and older workers. Wowprime Corporation is also hunting for staff, to fill 50 new locations. This month, it raised wages at its Chinese dining brands by as much as 12%.

A lobster bigger than your hand sizzles on a hot plate, releasing a mouthwatering aroma. This chain restaurant attracts diners with its tasty dishes. To attract employees, it’s raised salaries for the third time this year.

Wang Shu-ting
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We’ve reached our target of opening 50 new shops early, so we’re looking to fill 500 full-time vacancies. For that, we’ve decided to raise salaries for the third time this year. In the first half of the year, we were the teppanyaki restaurant brand with the largest salary increase. Altogether we’ve hiked salaries by almost 12%.

As of July, restaurant operations staff have started at NT$40,000 at Wowprime’s teppanyaki brand. Newcomers without experience have started at NT$36,000. This month, wages got an 8% boost at the group’s Chinese dining brands, with newcomers starting at NT$35,000.

Hot pot chain Jhu Jian is also expanding. It’s announced its fourth pay raise this year, and two annual revenue shares for supervisors. The company is hoping to fill 1,000 vacancies.

Back in March, the Chun Shui Tang teahouse raised salaries by 8% to 12%. It also introduced flexible work schedules for middle-aged and older employees.

At the start of August, Mala International Catering Group raised salaries by NT$2,000 to NT$5,000 a month. The hot pot chain aims to attract talented staff.

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We now look across the strait to China, where millions of people have turned to driving taxis to survive. As of June 30, China had issued 5.79 million driving licenses for online taxi services. That’s a 45% increase compared to last year. In China’s major cities, long lines of waiting taxicabs are now a common sight. According to experts, the influx of cabbies is a sign of widespread unemployment and trouble in China’s economy.

Underneath the overpass, taxis are bumper to bumper, as far as the eye can see. In many major cities of China, there are now far more cabs than customers.

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On the morning of Aug. 14 at Daxing International Airport, there were 150 taxis in line. I had to wait five hours before getting a journey. The trip was 48 kilometers and I earned 162 yuan. Then I picked up a 7.4 kilometer journey and made 26 yuan. I spent six hours on two rides and made 188 yuan.

With China’s unemployment rate surging, the jobless have turned to driving to survive. As of this June, China had granted 5.79 million taxi licenses, a yearly increase of 45%. In cities like Shanghai and Changsha, authorities have suspended applications for transport service permits.

Jimmy Wang
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The sharp increase in taxicabs signals that the unemployment crisis is not limited to the 18-to-24-year-old demographic. It may extend to those in the 30s, 40s, and even people aged 45 and older.

Fu Linghui
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Starting this August, the release of urban unemployment rates for youth and other age groups across the country will be suspended.

Amid rising joblessness, China has stopped releasing its youth unemployment rate. According to Peking University professor Zhang Dandan, the true youth unemployment rate may have hit 46.5% in March. That’s well above the official rate of 19.7%.

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When Biden was running for president, he said that China’s economy was heading toward recession. This remark may have dealt a blow to Xi Jinping’s confidence, to the point where he’s covering up the data altogether, so that no one can see the real situation. But what happens when you conceal data is that international investors have no way of assessing the state of China’s economy. They can’t make effective investments. Recently the biggest impact of this might be seen in the exchange rate.

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Taitung native offers ‘adventure therapy’ in the form of tree climbing

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Student
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Student
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Climbing coach Hsu Yueh-ping throws the rope out. Her students range in age from four to 60. But this is not her only job.

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My main job is social work. At that time I wanted to find a tool I was good at, to offer adventure therapy. Recovery means that after we’re injured, and we’ve gotten good care, then we recover. Trees are just the same.

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As a Taitung native, Hsu knows how beautiful her county is. She combines her social care expertise with her tree climbing mastery in these special classes. Students learn not just how to climb, but also learn about how to prune trees and ecological knowledge, and how to relax in the arms of a woody friend.

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