New “high-tech” plant-based patties are made so that they don’t just taste like their beef counterparts but also appear like ground beef in their color and texture. We’ve all heard and seen plenty of titles “Bleeding vegan burger” or “Veggie patties that bleed” in the media last year. How do all these meatless patty startups and industry veterans get their patties to look so “beefy”?
Well, some of them use beet juice as one of the key ingredients for color effect. Beet juice is really nothing new when it comes to the world of meatless burgers and burger patties. Cooks and chefs have been making beet burger patties and used beet juice as a natural coloring agent for years and people really dig them. Their color is quite recognizable. From light pink to maroon, beet patties can really look like they “bleed” at times.
One, by now, well-known company that utilizes beet juice in its patties that look and taste like beef ones is the Beyond Meat.Choosing a natural coloring agent rather than a synthetically derived one was received well by the consumers.
Another ingredient that has gotten a lot of attention in the last few years is legehemoglobin. Short for legume hemoglobin, leghemoglobin is the hemoglobin found in soy and other leguminous plants. Just like humans, certain plants(mainly leguminous ones, like soy,lentil,Alfalfa) also contain hemoglobin which is an iron-containing molecule that is essential for life. (Scientific American)describes it as super star protein.
A Stanford biochemist and a physician, Pat Brown, who has a passion for biochemistry and desire to replace animal meat with plant-based substitutes for better environment and climate, decided to utilize leghemoglobin in his meatless patties and faux meat products that we all know under the brand name of Impossible Foods.
Although, leghemoglobin, a “magic” ingredient of impossible Foods, as described by Inc.com in was approved by the FDA for use in meat alternatives, there has been a lot of controversy around it and nowadays we have two schools of thought when it comes to the use of soy hemoglobin in food. Center for Science in the Public Interest believes that not enough research was done on FDA’s part and that public deserves a bit more information on safety of genetically modified Soy products. Anti-GMO movement is also concerned, however, Pat Brown who is a physician and a biochemist assures us that there is really nothing to worry about when soy hemoglobin is used in patties we consume. They give them that meaty and beef like taste after all.
Takeaway
As plant-based food trend expands globally and competition among manufacturers increases, need for better tasting natural additives will increase too.Continuous research and improvements will make the meat substitutes a lot more appealing, tastier and safer for consumption.