A New Option for Future Proteins

When I bite into the “bacon and egg” sandwich in my hand, the “bacon” has a smoky fragrance and the yielding texture of fatty meat, while the “egg white” is slick and the “egg yolk” is dense. This is a completely plant-based product sold at the Peace Vegan hamburger restaurant in Hsinchu County. The plant-based bacon and egg are unlike the alternatives commonly used nowadays that are made from soy protein. Instead they are new foods developed by the Central Region Campus (CRC) of the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI).

A delicious “bacon and egg” sandwich made using plant-based ingredients.

Innovations in plant-based meat

You will recall that in 2023 there was a global shortage of eggs caused by avian influenza and low temperatures, so that in Taiwan and many other places including the UK, US, and Japan, eggs prices reached historic new highs. Plant-based eggs were among the alternatives used during the shortage and Peace Vegan sold 120,000 plant-based eggs in two months through the fundraising platform Zeczec.

For the plant-based eggs developed at the CRC, the egg white, which has a chewy, bouncy texture, is made with raw materials including a patented fungal strain, seaweed protein, and soy protein, while the yolk is made to a formula that includes seaweed fiber, mung beans, carrot, and pumpkin. The product is both nutritional and provides the desired texture.

The CRC has developed more than just plant-based eggs. They have also come out with other plant-based foods including lobster and foie gras, all of which feature macroalgae (seaweed) as a raw material.

Across the globe people are endeavoring to find “future proteins” as alternative sources of human nutrition. Talking about the motivation for R&D in this area, CRC deputy general director Lee Shih-chi says that the market for plant-based food products is growing at a rate of nearly 20% per year, and the most critical factors in seizing this commercial opportunity are the techniques and technology used to simulate other foods (mainly related to mouthfeel), and nutritional value. Currently most plant-based meats are made from soy protein or pea protein, and it is difficult to use a single material to create a variety of different textures. Hence manufacturers use spices and flavorings to attract consumers.

The CRC decided to start by tackling the issue of how to develop more forward-looking protein sources and production processes. “At first we focused on plant-based seafood,” says Lee. The main reason was that seafood is difficult to simulate, so if they could successfully develop a plant-based substitute they would enjoy an uncontested “blue ocean” market.

As their first effort, in 2021 the R&D team began trying to reproduce Boston lobster, which has a firm, fibrous texture, so that when the cooked meat is torn apart, there are fibers in a staggered pattern. It turned out to be very difficult to simulate the real thing, so it is no wonder that seafood accounts for only 1% of the plant-based food market.

Plant-based lobster is made with fibers from seaweeds such as Agardh’s red weed and Sarcodia suae to simulate the texture and flavor of real seafood.(courtesy of CRC)

The CRC’s plant-based egg is made using proteins from a patented fungal strain, microalgae, and soybeans, offering both nutritional value and a palatable mouthfeel.

Lee Shih-chi, deputy general director of the ITRI’s Central Region Campus has pondered the question: “What is real food?” He believes that humans eat food for its nutrition and mouthfeel.

Fibrous texture database

In order to find a better way, the R&D team came up with the idea of using the abundant algae found in the seas around Taiwan. This raw material, which is high on the list of carbon-negative plants, grows rapidly, and most importantly has a fibrous texture.

The R&D team had to first design a machine that would use cell disruption (cell wall breaking) technology to extract the nutrients from macroalgae. This technology could not be too expensive, so that it could be transferred to businesses. The CRC first modified technology already being used in biomedical sciences and applied the new method to macroalgae to extract the nutrients through cell wall breaking. They extracted fiber from three kinds of seaweed: Agardh’s red weed (Agardhiella subulata), Sarcodia suae (another red seaweed), and sea lettuce (Ulva lactuca, a green seaweed). They used radar charts to compare their stickiness, hardness, and flexibility. Through quantified scientific data, they were able to produce imitation lobster meat with the look and taste of the real thing.

The Central Region Campus of the Industrial Technology Research Institute uses macroalgae (seaweeds) as a source of protein. (courtesy of CRC)

Forward-looking protein sources

“In fact, the core value of the project was not the lobster itself, but the plant-based food fiber and texture database it yielded,” says Lee Shih-chi. With this data, people developing simulated foods can adjust their formulas to find the golden ratio that produces the optimal texture. If private companies wish to enlist the CRC’s services, they can develop products such as plant-based deep-sea cuttlefish, plant-based wagyu beef, and more.

Besides seaweed fiber, another source of fiber is microbial protein. This is protein produced by microbial fermentation of products like soy sauce, miso, or tempeh. Lee Shih-chi notes that the polysporous microorganisms used for such fermentation grow into filamentous (threadlike) structures and therefore likewise have value as fibers.

“Acting on expert advice, the team isolated a Taiwanese ­endemic fungal strain from banana leaves on a banana plantation in Pingtung County, and through purification supported by DNA comparison, this became an edible fungus,” says Lee. He adds that the CRC has already successfully patented this strain of the fungus Rhizopus microsporus.

Adding Rhizopus microsporus to a certain formulation from the fiber and texture database has led to the creation of a more forward-looking protein source. For example, it can be an element in plant-based egg yolk that offers a good mouthfeel and density. It can also be used to soften nuts and create firm, tender, flavorful fat to make plant-­fiber-­based foie gras. After processing by flavoring and dry frying, this imitation foie gras can be eaten as is, or used by chefs who adjust the flavor to make high-value foodstuffs.

Taiwan’s “No Meat” meat-free markets attract many vegetarian consumers.

“No Meat” markets offer a wide variety of tasty vegetarian products.

Realistically textured plant-based meat, with its zero cholesterol and low calories, has prompted a third wave in the trend toward meat analogues. (courtesy of CRC)

Functional plant-based meats

The CRC has already licensed the Dawn Link food company of Taoyuan to produce plant-based moon shrimp cakes, while the startup company Peace Vegan has also been licensed to develop plant-based eggs, bacon, and more.

At the end of 2021 Peace Vegan founder Todd Chang and the CRC began working together to develop mass-producible plant-based eggs so that fried eggs can be priced at a more affordable level, with the current price set at NT$30 per egg. During last year’s egg shortage they marketed these plant-based eggs over the fundraising platform Zeczec, selling an impressive NT$2.3 million worth of product. With plant-based eggs there is no “chicken and egg” problem, and by ramping up production, they were able to produce more than 100,000 eggs in two months.

Chang is currently developing formulas for other products including plant-based liquid eggs and soft-boiled eggs in the hope that they can be used in all manner of dishes that traditionally call for eggs.

Tsai Shu-hsien, deputy division director in the CRC’s Agri-Industrial Systems Technology Division, who is a core member of the R&D team, agrees that there is a global trend toward eating plant-based foods among people concerned about having healthy and nutritious diets. He adds that functional plant-based meats also offer another option to those who are allergic to seafood or dairy.

Plant-based bacon salad is healthy and delicious. (courtesy of Lypid)

The CRC's plant-based bacon has a smoky flavor. (courtesy of CRC)

The smoky flavor of plant-based bacon satisfies the taste buds of consumers at large. (courtesy of CRC)

World’s first plant-based pork belly

The folks at the Silicon Valley food technology startup Lypid are also focused on future meats. They developed PhytoFat™, a plant-based fat, and after receiving international patents for it, in 2023 they created the world’s first plant-based pork belly.

Lypid co-founders Huang Jen-yu and Michelle Lee used microencapsulation technology to enclose liquid plant fat and enable it to melt at specific temperatures to create a juicy mouthfeel for plant-based meat.

Karen Chiu, director of business development at Lypid, says that their plant-based pork belly, whose ingredients include plant fat and soy protein fiber, has the soft, oily texture and the aroma of pork belly. The price is set at NT$900 per kilogram, and it is already on the market through restaurants in the San Francisco Bay area in the US and in Taiwan.

With no concerns about cholesterol or saturated fat, Lypid is mainly targeting the 40% of the world’s population who are “flexitarians”—people who consume less meat and more fruit and vegetables compared to other people. At present the company is also developing fully plant-based foods rich in saturated fats, including ice cream and salmon.

The photo shows the world’s first plant-based pork belly, developed by the Lypid company. (courtesy of Lypid)

Wanga, a Japanese-style vegetarian curry restaurant in Pingtung County, uses plant-based pork belly in its cooking. (courtesy of Lypid)

This celery and smoked meat stir-fry is made by the Panpan vegetarian restaurant in Taichung. (courtesy of Lypid)

Sustainability and carbon reduction

According to statistics provided by Lypid, compared to traditional meats plant-based meats can reduce agricultural water use by 87%, land use by 96%, and greenhouse gas emissions by 89%. They are a food that addresses both sustainable development and taste.

The plant-based lobster meat developed by the CRC has a carbon footprint of about 4.62 kilograms carbon dioxide equivalent per lobster, which is 58% less than the 7.9 kilograms of carbon emissions for an imported real American lobster.

As scientists seek technological models for low-­carbon and reduced-carbon agriculture, Lee Shih-chi argues that developing the use of macroalgae as sources of protein and fiber for plant-based meats is in tune with contemporary trends. Although terrestrial plants are currently one of the main sources of food for humankind, their cultivation requires fertilizer and irrigation, meaning that terrestrial plants have a greater carbon footprint than marine plants.

Just like seagrass beds or mangrove plants such as Kandelia obovata, macroalgae are marine “blue carbon” plants that sequester carbon dioxide. Their use in food products is giving shape to a new marine economy and creating a future food source. Besides enabling people to eat their fill of nutritional food, microalgae can also help meet the challenges of climate change and food sustainability.

San Berno, a vegetarian food maker, has used Lypid’s plant-based products to develop a whole series of dishes. (courtesy of Lypid)