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PLANT BASED MEAT

Plant-based meat refers to products made from plant materials that are designed to mimic meat in every way, from taste, texture, smell, and appearance. Plant-based meats can come in the form of burgers, sausages, ground meat, crumbles, nuggets, even faux-seafood like shrimp and fish, and use one, or a combination, of alternative protein ingredients.

Types Of Plant-Based Meats There are two primary types of plant-based meats: whole muscle meat and restructured meat.

Whole muscle meat products are designed to resemble a steak, chicken breast, or any other type of animal muscle. Many companies are striving towards developing an entirely plant-based steak; NovaMeat, a Spanish start-up, is developing a version made of pea and rice protein. A 3D-printed structure will give the product an authentic muscle feels that is a defining characteristic of real steak.

Restructured meat products are those that mimic products like ground beef, meatballs, sausages, and nuggets. Beyond Meat Burgers and Impossible Burgers, both fall under the restructured meat category.

Plant-Based Meat Made From Plant-based meat can be made from a variety of ingredients, depending on the type of meat being produced and the company creating it. Common ingredients include grains and legumes, which are utilized for their proteins, fibers, and starches, which can be converted into isolates, flours, and concentrates. Through a process known as extrusion, whereby ingredients are put through hydration, shearing, and cooking, these ingredients are made to more closely mimic meat characteristics, while eliminating unwanted aromas, flavors or textures. By way of example, the Beyond Meat burger features pea protein isolate as its star ingredient.

Aside from protein components in grains and legumes, fibers and starches are also used in extruded plant-based meats to help make products more realistic. Whole muscle meat products can achieve a more realistic fibrous composition thanks to these ingredients, which can also be used to create realistic sausage casings.

Fermentation is another process commonly used in some plant-based meats. The Impossible Burger, for example, created a plant-based heme molecule that allows their burgers to bleed just like an animal-based burger would. Impossible’s heme is created through fermenting yeast that has been engineered to produce the molecule.

Companies producing Plant-Based Meat Beyond Meat, Boca (The Kraft Heinz Company), Dr. Praeger’s, Field Roast (Maple Leaf Foods), Gardein (Conagra), Impossible Foods, Lightlife (Maple Leaf Foods), MorningStar Farms (Kellogg’s), Quorn (Monde Nissin), Sweet Earth (Nestle), Tofurky