The 'meatless' meat burger

Meat has been the predominant source of protein since the dawn of human, when our ancestors learned how to hunt wild animals. For humans, meat was and still is the staple of the everyday diet, providing energy as well as various other nutrients. As society advances and technology develops, demand for meat and other animal products witnesses an ever-increasing trend both quantitatively and qualitatively.

However, such a rise has not come without a cost. To fulfill public consumption, the meat industry has to upgrade its scale, meaning that more and more cattle is raised and slaughtered on a daily basis. For the environment, this means even more carbon dioxide and methane are released into the atmosphere, which directly contributes to global warming. As for animal rights activists, they are more concerned about the political aspects of killing these cows and pigs for food. Finally, for individuals, some are becoming more concerned than ever about food safety as well as their own health, deeming meat as full of cholesterol and as the major cause of cardio-vascular diseases.

To combat this problem, several suggestions have been put forward. First is the vegan movement, which is gaining both popularity and notoriety across nations. By going vegan, people steer away from consuming meat and other animal products while at the same time, eat more plants and vegetables. This is claimed to ultimately result in zero meat consumption, more healthy and balanced diets and less harm for the animals. However, reported cases of mal-nutrition are not rare due to lack of protein inside the body. In addition, aggressive protests targeting directly meat eaters have caused huge backlash, creating a negative impression of the mass towards the vegan movement.

Since protein is so vital to the human body, the search for alternative sources has been called for, drawing attention to entomophagy – the consumption of insects. It is scientifically proven that lots of insects are rich in nutrients, which are sometimes far superior to beef and pork. Insects are also quick to reproduce by nature, and therefore is the ‘perfect solution’ to the meat crisis. Nevertheless, the biggest problem people have with eating insects is undoubtedly the visual. When you are eating a piece of meat, it is easy to forget that it comes from a living animal, with complete legs, heads, eyes and ears. The same cannot be said for insects, whose body parts are all presented on the plate.

Armed with hope and creativity, and backed by scientific advancement, the world has witnessed the appearance of a third approach: the meatless meat. Impossible Foods is among the giants in researching and perfecting meat substitutes, with products being consumed by big restaurants across the U.S. Over the years, scientists at these institutes have been asking themselves the question: “What is so good about eating meat?” To answer the question, these scientists had to break down chunks of meat into literal molecule, and study each of them to determine how they taste, smell, and even how they sound and look when cooked. It is discovered that most of the flavor of beef comes from a chemical called ‘heme’, which is red in color and tastes a lot like blood. To replicate the beef-eating experience, scientists had to work on plant-based sources that contain such chemical compound. Their result was the root of soy plant. This is then mixed with soy as their main source of protein, potatoes for a crispy exterior when seared, xanthan gum to bind everything together, and coconut oil flakes to mimic the sizzle and juice coming out of the meat when cooked. Currently, the ‘meatless meat’, which is named the Impossible Burger, is only available in the form of burger patty.

How is it compared to real meat? For a brief comparison, people who ate both a real meat burger and the Impossible Burger were quick to identify which one is which, and vegans who tried out the Impossible Burger felt grossed as it ‘tastes too much like actual beef’. This means that even when the flavor is almost identical, the feel of biting into a meat burger is not yet to be fulfilled. There is still a long way until the Impossible Burger can compete with a real burger, but for now it is the perfect solution for someone who is looking to reduce their meat consumption while still hesitating to have full meals of beans and vegetables.