2022年经济学人 植物性蛋白质越来越受到食客的欢迎（1）

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Business.

商业。

Foodmaking.

食品制作。

A taste of things to come.

未来事物尝鲜。

Plant-based proteins are increasingly popular with diners.

植物性蛋白质越来越受到食客的欢迎。

A good vegan milk needs to look like milk and taste like milk, whether it's a fatty version, preferred by bakers¹, or a skimmed one, favoured by the health-conscious.

好的纯素牛奶需要看起来像牛奶，尝起来也像牛奶，无论是面包师喜欢的脂肪牛奶，还是注重健康的人喜欢的脱脂牛奶。

And, for coffee-drinkers, it should ideally foam² like the stuff from a cow.

而且，对于喝咖啡的人来说，理想的情况是它应该像奶牛产的奶一样起泡。

For years manufacturers have had trouble hacking³ this delicate imitation game.

多年来，制造商一直难以破解这种精致的模仿游戏。

Rapidly rising revenues suggest that they are getting much better at it.

快速增长的收入表明，他们在这方面做得越来越好。

In America alone, $2.6bn of plant-based milk was sold in 2021, up from $2bn in 2018.

仅在美国，植物奶的销售额就从2018年的20亿美元升到2021年的26亿美元。

Pseudo-milks are only one category in the growing assortment⁴ of passable plant-based alternatives to animal products.

植物性的动物制品替代品的种类越来越多，人造牛奶只是其中一种。

There are now convincing versions not just of meat but of cheese, eggs and even prawns⁵.

现在不仅有令人信以为真的人造肉，还有人造奶酪、人造鸡蛋甚至人造虾。

Burger King and McDonald's sell vegan patties; Chipotle has made a plant-based chorizo.

汉堡王和麦当劳出售素食肉饼；Chipotle制作了一种植物性香肠。

Last year the world's largest producer of canned tuna, Thai Union, launched a plant-based line.

去年，全球最大的金枪鱼罐头生产商泰万盛推出了植物性生产线。

Growing sales show the growing taste for this type of foodstuff⁶.

不断增长的销售额表明，人们对这种食品的兴趣越来越大。

BCG, a consultancy, reckons that global revenues from alternative proteins could reach $290bn by 2035--and that is a cautious estimate.

波士顿咨询公司估计，到2035年，替代蛋白质带来的全球收入可能达到2900亿美元--这还只是一个谨慎的估计。

Eager investors⁷ have poured into the business like oatmilk into a latte.

热切的投资者们纷纷涌入这个行业，就像燕麦奶加进拿铁一样。

Alternative-protein companies lapped up $5bn in investments in 2021, 60% more than in 2020.

替代蛋白质公司在2021年欣然获得了50亿美元的投资，比2020年增加了60%。

Oatly, a Swedish firm that makes plant-based milk, raised $1.4bn on its Nasdaq debut⁸ last year.

生产植物奶的瑞典公司噢麦力去年在纳斯达克上市时融资了14亿美元。

Impossible Foods, which makes meatless burgers, raised $500m in November, valuing the firm at $7bn.

生产无肉汉堡的Impossible Foods在11月份融资了5亿美元，使公司估值达70亿美元。

In February Nestlé, a packaged-goods giant, acquired Orgain, which makes plant-based protein powder, for an undisclosed sum rumoured⁹ to be around $2bn.

包装产品业巨头雀巢在2月份收购了生产植物性蛋白粉的欧根，交易金额未披露，据传约为20亿美元。

Can the feast last?

这样的盛况能持续下去吗？

One reason to be hopeful is that alternative proteins have come a long way since the 1980s, when Quorn, a fungus-based meat alternative, first hit supermarket shelves.

有希望持续下去的一个原因是，20世纪80年代时，真菌制成的肉类替代品--阔恩素肉首次出现在超市的货架上，自那时以来，替代蛋白质已经取得了长足的进步。

Silk, a soya milk, followed in the 1990s.

随后，Silk豆奶在20世纪90年代问世。

Unlike those early products, which were neither terribly tasty nor particularly nutritious¹⁰, the latest crop are often both.

与既不好吃也不特别有营养的早期产品不同，近期的作物往往两者兼而有之。

Clever processing improves texture¹¹, additives¹² boost taste and a pinch of specially¹³ engineered peas and beans adds nutrients¹⁴.

巧妙的加工改善质地，添加剂提升口感，少量经过特殊改造的豌豆和豆子增加营养。

1 bakers   

n.面包师( baker的名词复数 )；面包店；面包店店主；十三

参考例句：

• The Bakers have invited us out for a meal tonight. 贝克一家今晚请我们到外面去吃饭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The bakers specialize in catering for large parties. 那些面包师专门负责为大型宴会提供食品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 foam   

v./n.泡沫，起泡沫

参考例句：

• The glass of beer was mostly foam.这杯啤酒大部分是泡沫。
• The surface of the water is full of foam.水面都是泡沫。

3 hacking   

n.非法访问计算机系统和数据库的活动

参考例句：

• The patient with emphysema is hacking all day. 这个肺气肿病人整天不断地干咳。
• We undertook the task of hacking our way through the jungle. 我们负责在丛林中开路。

4 assortment   

n.分类，各色俱备之物，聚集

参考例句：

• This shop has a good assortment of goods to choose from.该店各色货物俱全，任君选择。
• She was wearing an odd assortment of clothes.她穿着奇装异服。

5 prawns   

n.对虾，明虾( prawn的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Mine was a picture of four translucent prawns, with two small fish swimming above them. 给我画的是四只虾，半透明的，上画有两条小鱼。 来自汉英文学 - 现代散文
• Shall we get some shrimp and prawns? 我们要不要买些小虾和对虾？ 来自无师自通 校园英语会话

6 foodstuff   

n.食料，食品

参考例句：

• They handled groceries and foodstuff.他们经营食品杂货。
• Construct a international foodstuff promotion and exhibition trade center.建成国际食品会展经贸中心。

7 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

8 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。

9 rumoured   

adj.谣传的；传说的；风

参考例句：

• It has been so rumoured here. 此间已有传闻。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• It began to be rumoured that the jury would be out a long while. 有人传说陪审团要退场很久。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

10 nutritious   

adj.有营养的，营养价值高的

参考例句：

• Fresh vegetables are very nutritious.新鲜蔬菜富于营养。
• Hummingbirds have discovered that nectar and pollen are very nutritious.蜂鸟发现花蜜和花粉是很有营养的。

11 texture   

n.(织物)质地；(材料)构造；结构；肌理

参考例句：

• We could feel the smooth texture of silk.我们能感觉出丝绸的光滑质地。
• Her skin has a fine texture.她的皮肤细腻。

12 additives   

n.添加剂( additive的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• chemical additives in petrol 汽油中的化学添加剂
• It'says on the packet that these crisps contain no additives. 包装上说这些炸薯片不含添加剂。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 specially   

adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地

参考例句：

• They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
• The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。

14 nutrients   

n.（食品或化学品）营养物，营养品( nutrient的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lack of essential nutrients 基本营养的缺乏
• Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. 营养素被吸收进血液。 来自《简明英汉词典》