This is going to sound like a different generation, but there’s an episode of The Simpsons where Homer is the mayor’s bodyguard. He goes to the gangster’s Fat Tony on one of his routine walks to collect bribes, where he renegotiates the contract for the school’s milk cartons. Homer opens a door and discovers that the mob is cutting costs by using milk from mice, not cows.

There are people in Indonesia who do something similar, but with fish milk.

trend change. There are cows in Indonesia and “conventional” milk can be produced without too much trouble. Now there are two conflicting disadvantages affecting the industry. Firstly, increasing urbanization in the country leads to increased demand for dairy products, so meeting the supply is sometimes difficult.

The other is that there is also a growing trend towards sustainability and animal welfare, which is at odds with the dairy industry. Therefore, we can say that although there are animals in the archipelago, there is a shortage of cows. The only thing that is not missing is fish.

fish milking. Given this increase in dairy products and seeing options like almond or soy-based drinks on the shelves, the Berikan Protein Initiative foundation saw an opportunity: What if we started producing fish-based milk? It’s a non-profit foundation that has been creating this rather unappetizing product for a year.

In a report from The Wall Street Journal, we see that it all started in the coastal town of Indramayu, where fishermen delivered their catch of pony fish twice a day to the foundation. They are transported to a factory where the fish bones are removed and separated by hydrolysis, dried and reduced to a white powder that they claim is rich in protein.

From there they go to another facility where sugar and sweeteners such as strawberry and chocolate are added. Water is added to the mixture and that’s it: we have a good fish smoothie as a snack.

Surikan, this is fish milk. The notification is small in the top left

optimists. Mafatihul Khoiri, who manages the production of this fish milk within the foundation, states that, of course, “it tastes like normal milk, at least to me.” A few lines ago I told an anecdote from an episode of The Simpsons and, as always, they predicted the future. Because? Because local media is already covering fish milk as a potential option for schools.

There are already businessmen who see the potential in this and claim that it is a sector that can employ 200,000 people, produce 500,000 tons annually and create a value of 4.5 billion dollars. This businessman, whose name is Budi Sulistyo, says he is “very optimistic.”

against ministries. Now not everyone agrees and the person facing this fish milk is Health Minister Budi Gunadi. While he knows it wouldn’t be bad for Indonesians to expand their nutritional options, there are alternatives to fish-based milk. “We can raise cows, we can import the milk from Australia, or we can buy an Australian cow or dairy company. There are many, many, many options before we start milking fish.” I even find it funny that he repeats the phrase “many” three times. You shouldn’t be too happy with this idea.

Be careful, it may be the milk of the future. But actually it’s not crazy. Powder derived from fish collagen is sold as a food supplement in some countries, and the European Union has funded Norwegian researchers to study how to eliminate the fishy odor in this fish-based protein.

This seems to be the biggest problem with this substance because it has a very characteristic odor that can set you back and can be used in other supplements such as fish powder, sports supplements or aids by eliminating the chemical that causes the odor. To ensure that some foods are richer in protein.

Sugar. We also need to look at what to do about taste, as Berikan Protein Initiative fish milk has 13 grams of sugar – too much – and tests have been done to reduce this amount to 4.7 grams. Yes, less, but the problem is that when the amount of sugar is reduced, the fishy taste comes out and they have to reduce the amount of fish protein by almost half, from nine grams to five grams.

Although they are working on how to overcome these disadvantages from the ground up, they assure that the first thing to do is to ensure market acceptance. The rest will be realized if consumers adopt this fish milk.

It’s not such a bad idea. Ultimately, although fish milk may sound like a parody, it represents an effort to find innovative and sustainable solutions to the challenges of food production. If taste and odor problems are overcome, we may be faced with a more accessible and efficient protein source for a world with new nutritional requirements.

Pictures | Forayya

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