Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. commercialize
    • ex. Scientists discovered a new medicine. They plan to commercialize it to make it available to everyone.
  2. a protein
    • ex. Different proteins in food help our bodies grow and stay strong.
  3. metabolize
    • ex. The body metabolizes food and turns it into energy we can use.
  4. derive from (something)
    • ex. Chocolate is derived from cocoa beans that grow on trees.
  5. innovation
    • ex. The company's innovation in making eco-friendly products helps protect the environment.

Article

Read the article below and answer your tutor's questions.

Font size

Ajinomoto Health & Nutrition (AHN) North America, Inc. and Shiru are working together to develop and commercialize sweet proteins for drinks and special foods. Shiru uses advanced AI technology to find these proteins, and AHN uses its knowledge in processing ingredients. Together, the companies aim to bring natural and useful ingredients to the market.

Sweet proteins can replace sugar in foods, which will help prevent diseases related to high blood sugar levels. Unlike sugar, sweet proteins don’t cause high blood sugar levels because the body metabolizes them differently. These proteins are derived from tropical fruits and berries. However, it’s still difficult to use them because of problems with taste and quality. To fix this, Shiru will use Flourish, a tool that uses AI, to discover more natural and safe sweet proteins.

Ryan Smith from AHN said the partnership shows the company’s focus on innovation. He believes that working with partners will improve food and nutrition. The partnership will help AHN and Shiru lead the industry in creating new and useful ingredients. This will meet the changing needs of the food industry and what consumers want.

This material was based on an article by The Associated Press.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Sweet Proteins

  • Shiru will use Flourish, a tool that uses AI, to discover more natural and safe sweet proteins. How do you feel about AI being used to discover and develop new food ingredients like sweet proteins (ex. it’s scary, it’s a good idea)? Discuss.
  • Sweet proteins can replace sugar in foods, which will help prevent diseases related to high blood sugar levels. Do you think high blood sugar levels are a serious problem? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Imagine products with sweet proteins are now commercialized. Would you buy them? Why or why not? Discuss.

Food Innovations

  • AHN said its partnership with Shiru shows the company’s focus on innovation. How do you think partnerships between companies promote innovation? Discuss.
  • Why do you think innovation is important in the food industry (ex. the needs of consumers are changing, health should be improved)? Discuss.
  • What recent food innovation do you find most useful for you (ex. high-tech rice cookers, plant-based meat)? Why? Discuss.