"Bamboo Will Solve the Global Food Crisis," Proposes Chinese Research Team

A proposal to solve the global food crisis using bamboo has emerged from China, drawing attention.

On the 22nd, Hong Kong's South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that a research team led by researcher Wu Lianglu from the China National Bamboo Research Center announced research results on this topic. The paper was peer-reviewed and published in the scientific journal Food Science and Technology Trends.

The research team explained, "Bamboo is one of the fastest-growing plants in the world and provides protein similar to milk."

According to the paper, bamboo shoots contain 7 of the 9 essential amino acids required by humans. Amino acids are the main components that make up proteins, and the amino acid content in bamboo is higher than in other vegetables such as cabbage, carrots, and celery. Bamboo also has low fat content, contains various vitamins, and is a source of carbohydrates such as dietary fiber.

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Increasing bamboo cultivation worldwide is expected to expand bamboo shoot production to up to 150 million tons annually, ensuring sufficient supply. Moreover, bamboo shoots have the advantage of being processable through various methods such as salting, fermentation, drying, canning, and freezing.

The research team emphasized, "Bamboo shoots are an undervalued natural resource with great potential to become a mainstream food globally," adding, "They can play an important role in continuously supplying nutritious food to a growing world population."

There are over 500 species of bamboo in 12 genera worldwide, and in Korea, there are 14 species in 4 genera including Haejangjuk and Wangdae. The representative species of bamboo, Wangdae, is native to China and has been widely used for food. Bamboo shoots, which typically appear from late spring to early summer, have a pleasant aroma and are used in dishes such as rice and porridge, while the leaves are also used to brew alcohol.

In China, about 25 to 35 million tons of bamboo shoots are produced annually, but due to oversupply and low prices, only one-third are harvested, with the rest left to rot in the mountains.

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