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.