Plant-Based, Mock, Faux
Plant-Based, Mock, Faux
The New-Age Meat
Plant-based meat made its rise in the USA a decade or so ago and the trend is all the rage today, with many restaurants serving interesting fare using this new-age meat. But in India, where a new industry is on the cusp, is it just a culinary fad or is mock meat here to stay? Farzana Contractor opines
Tell me honestly, did you ever think a day would arrive when we would be talking of scientific engineering of food to the extent that we would be able to eat meat which is vegetarian? I didn’t, for sure, but here we are, all geared to welcome into our culinary lives mock meat as it is known, or fake meat, both terms that I certainly don’t like. I mean, so much time, effort, money, scientific genius is going into cultivating plant-based meat, surely the supporting advertising and marketing crew could have come up with something more appealing for this new-age meat. Guess it will happen bit by bit. Just that mock meat reminds one of the mockery of staunch vegetarians. Ditto, ‘fake meat’. Throws hypocrisy in your face. Won’t eat animal meat but will love to try what looks, feels, tastes like the real thing, never mind that non-vegetarians have always been condemned for their eating habits.
Well, the purpose of this article is not to deride, but inform vegetarians and non-vegetarians, alike, about what’s in store for them. Quite literally, too. For already we have in the Indian market stores loaded with ample vegetarian meat, as I prefer to call it. Or even faux meat. Being a French word makes it seem less severe. But for all practical purposes I shall address it by the popular terminology which is mock meat. At least it's easy on the tongue.
So, as it happened, my interest in the subject was aroused when I noticed earlier this year, at the 18th UpperCrust Food Show that we had four brands showcasing their products. You had, from Beyond Meat: Sausage, Burger, Mince, Meatballs; from Imagine Meats: Burger Patty, Butter Chicken & Tikka Masala, Chicken, Mutton, Lukhnowi Biryani, Chettinaad Biryani, Yakhani Pulao; from Blue Tribe: Mutton & Chicken Keema, Chicken Nuggets, Chicken Sausage, Pork Sausage and Darjeeling Momos; from Shaka Harry: Burger Patties, Nuggets, Momos, Samosas, Keema, Seekh Kebabs and Stuffed Parathas.
Also that there was a considerable buzz around these booths. There were visitors most keen to taste all the veggie meat on display which the exhibitors were only too happy to have people sample.
I was also escorted to a couple of these booths, to lend my ear to the marketing executives. However, when the time came to try a ‘meat’ kebab, sizzling on the pan, I was a bit skeptical but had a go anyway. I have to say, it really wasn’t bad. In fact I would go to the extent of saying if I was doing a blind-folded tasting I honestly would find it difficult to separate the real from the fake meat. The texture was fine, the taste was not bad, the mouth-feel good. What more does one want?
I guess, the fat! Which makes all the difference to a good mutton dish. Take a Kashmiri Tabak Maaz for example. Now that’s a challenge! Can a company replicate that? That divine fatty piece of rib, succulent meat on the bone. Near impossible, I would say. Or take even the gushtaba, my ultimate favourite. Where you beat the raw pieces of fatty meat with wooden mallets for hours to get that awesome meatball which is simmered in its juice in cardamom and yogurt. I guess the only way mock meat could come around this is by cooking up all these dishes in original recipes with the appropriate spices. That way the taste of the ‘meat’ may get 'covered' up.
I am an unabashed mutton eater – goat meat. I may make an allowance for sheep meat when in New Zealand and Ireland, but it is mutton for me. Chicken, never and no beef also, unless when in Argentina. Point is, I, like the rest of the world, am psychologically driven, too. I want the real taste. That’s the barrier the plant-based meat guys will have to overcome where hardcore meat eaters are concerned.
Make no mistake about it. This new non-animal meat is not aimed at vegetarians alone. On the contrary, it is, in fact, targeted more towards the non-vegetarians. While ethical and environmental reasons certainly come into play and everyone talks about saving the planet, I would think the big reason for these big business investments also has much to do with profits. Take India, for example, which is assumed, by most people in the world, to be largely vegetarian. False! Hard fact, 70% of India eats meat. And relishes it! So imagine if the industry breaks through the psychological barrier and gets people going in that direction! The Foreign Agricultural Service of the United States says that India’s meat substitute market is expected to reach $47.57 million by 2026.
Of course the next thing to consider is the price point. Mutton at almost Rs.800 per kilo is merely a dream for the poor. The price rocketed after the beef ban in many states of India. So the poor started or continued to eat buffalo meat which is also not cheap anymore, at Rs 300 per kilo. I can’t say if it was always buffalo meat that was served in restaurants (the jury is still out on that one), but the idea did put many beef (cow) eaters off. So mutton just got expensive and out of reach even for the middle class, who thinks twice before buying some, keeping it for special occasions or perhaps Sunday meals.
So unless the price is attractive, people will not be inclined to even try mock meat. However, the question that will still remain is, will this be the only way we will eat veg meat? In nugget form, in tikki form, in kebab form? Or like sausages and bacon strips? Even like a piece of steak. But what about drumsticks and chicken wings and full roast chicken or leg of lamb or pork belly? Questions, questions… Including ones like, is this new kind of meat okay for health? That’s the first question most people tend to ask. Are there loads of chemicals in it? Is it even safe? How is it made? What ingredients go into it? Where is it made, in a lab? Affordable? What about shelf life…
Need answers. I don’t have them either. We will wait and watch.
In the meanwhile, let's understand the breakup, the content of plant-based meat. What goes into it, for Christ’s sake! How is it made, what is put into it to resemble the real deal in taste, texture, colour and look.
Well, the predominant ingredients seem to come from the plant-based proteins. Extracted from ingredients like peas, soybean, wheat gluten, black turtle beans, and mushrooms.
Apart from that, creating plant-based meat dishes also involves curing vegetable substitutes like jackfruit, eggplant, watermelon, zucchini, to be used in recipes with a play on spices that resemble meat dishes.
Apart from mock meat, you also have lab-grown meat. Which is nothing but meat cultivated using animal cells, without killing the animal. Here, the cells are collected from a body part of an animal and placed in an environment conducive to multiplication. The product that is so formed is similar to the meat of a live animal with fat and muscle, complete. This method does check the killing of animals, but is not considered vegetarian. And it is a crazy expensive procedure to sustain itself. The first experimental lab- grown burger in 2013 came at a cost of $330,000!
That enormous price tag was enough to keep even the most involved food companies away, but now lab-grown meat, also called cell-cultured meat or cultivated meat, seems to be back in the saddle with as many as 70 companies around the world trying to grow meat in a laboratory. However, the good news for curious foodies is that a lab-made meat burger may now be purchased for just $9 or so. Prices are falling because production is improving and the materials involved cost much less. In addition to falling prices many more companies are now in the fray, making assorted animal meat; chicken, duck, lamb, pork, even kangaroo and horse. Yes, it’s the world market that drives production.
Personally speaking, I hate the idea of consuming lab meat. It’s eeky! But mock/veggie meat I am open to. If it can truly address all concerns, ethical, environmental, ecological, health and medical, I am all for it. Anything to save planet Earth for future generations. That’s Wabi Sabi living and something to feel good and responsible about.
So let’s go down that road. Will eating mock meat really make a difference? Too early to tell, since we don’t know just yet what the consumption pattern, worldwide, will be like, but yes, we are all aware just how much damage we do to the planet to bring real meat to the table. The animals raised for the purpose have to be fed, leading to deforestation. Plus, the water consumption is stupendous; it takes over 2,400 gallons to produce a pound of beef! (over 9,000 ltrs for 450 gms!) Keeping just this in mind, coming from a country where water is truly scarce and deeper and deeper tube wells are being dug, I would say shifting to an ecologically sensitive lifestyle certainly makes sense. The same water can be diverted towards farming… vegetables and grains, that is.
But again, if data can be accessed and facts tabled, if we really can be told that mock meat is a safe alternative, I think it would create confidence in people. Because there are counter arguments; apart from the fact that plant-based meat offers lesser proteins of same quantities, it is believed that plant-based meats are highly processed with add-ons of thickeners, artificial flavours, salt and preservatives. So is that healthy? Guess so, when we explore the other side of it. There are multiple studies which show that replacing animal meat, with a big chunk of calories in it, with plant-based meat does cut down the risk of heart-related illnesses, blood pressure, cancer and diabetes. The last mentioned ailment being on a huge rise in India.
As my research showed, not everyone switches to, or at least opts for, the new meat, due to dietary concerns. Especially vegetarians who are already in a safe zone. To them, it’s the experience that matters, the excitement of whetting their taste buds with a new offering.
Like Dr Viral Shah, a foodie for sure and a regular international traveller. When asked if he had tried mock meat, he answered, “Oh yes, many times. I quite like it. It’s interesting what they do with it. On my last visit to Miami, I went to this restaurant, Chotto Matte, where they have a specially curated menu with plant-based meat. It was unbelievable, but they actually replicated fish using watermelon. Crisy Tuna, it was called. I also ate ceviche made of litchis!
Another big-time foodie, vegetarian, Harsh Goenka, has also tried eating mock meat, here in India and abroad, says, "Yes, I have tried eating mock meat, chicken etc., but struggle to get through. Stupid, psychological issues in my mind! Can never get to enjoy that."
So, let's wait and watch how the future of mock meat fares. However let us add; industry reports are very positive.
History
Meat substitution has a long history. Tofu, a meat alternative made from soybeans was invented in China as early as 200 BCE! Quaintly it was called pinyin in Chinese, meaning ‘small mutton’. It was also in China that wheat gluten was first documented. Chinese agricultural encyclopedia written in 535 BCE mentions noodles prepared from wheat gluten called ‘bo duo.’ It was due to the arrival of Buddhism in China which led to creating meat alternatives since the religion did not allow the killing of animals and birds or any living being, for that matter. Meat alternatives were also popular in Medieval Europe where chopped nuts and grapes were used as a substitute for mincemeat during Lent when consumption of warm-blooded animals, eggs and dairy were prohibited. It was in 1877 that John Harvey Kellogg developed meat replacements from soy, nuts and grains to feed patients in his vegetarian sanitarium named Battle Creek. Kellogg’s Sanitas Nut Food Company sold his meat substitute Protose, made from peanuts and wheat gluten. A vegetarian cookbook by Henrietta Latham Dwight called The Golden Age Cook-Book written in 1898 includes meat substitute recipes such as ‘mock chicken’ recipe made from breadcrumbs, eggs, lemon juice, walnuts and a ‘mock clam soup’ made from marrowfat beans and cream. Likewise, in 1909, dietician, Sarah Tyson Rorer’s cookbook, Mrs Rorer’s Vegetable Cookery and Meat Substitutes includes a mock veal roast recipe made from lentils, breadcrumbs and peanuts. Prior to 1950, interest in plant-based meat came from vegetarians searching for alternatives to meat protein for ethical reasons and by regular meat eaters confronted with food shortages created by World War I and World War II, precipitating the need for meat alternatives. It was in 2009 that Beyond Meat, a US-based company made the presence of mock meat very noticeable. And then came the Impossible Burger from Impossible Foods launched in 2016. Teaming up with Burger King, they created Impossible Whopper which went on to be one of the most successful product launches in Burger King’s history. Nestlé joined in, in the plant-based burger industry in 2019 with the introduction of the Awesome Burger. And Kellogg’s Morningstar Farms rolled out its line of plant-based protein products in 2020, completing the circle it started in 1877. India is presently seeing the advent of mock meat through at least 50 companies.
The Process of Making Plant-Based Meat
Meat analog (plant-based, mock meat) products are currently made by two basic processes, either thermoplastic extrusion or fibre spinning. Thermoplastic extrusion involves the adaptation of production processes that are more commonly associated with the making of ready-to-eat cereal products. Extrusion is considered to be a cost-effective method of accommodating large-scale productions, and for forming desirable fibres. Soy protein isolates or soybean flour and gluten are usually used as foundation for most meat substitutes that are available in the market. Soy protein isolate is a highly pure form of soy protein with a minimum protein content of 90%. The process of extracting the protein from the soybeans starts with the dehulling, or decortication, of the seeds. The seeds are then treated with solvents such as hexane to extract the oil. The oil-free soybean meal is then suspended in water and treated with alkali to dissolve the protein while leaving behind the carbohydrates. The alkaline solution is then treated with acidic substances to precipitate the protein, before being washed and dried. The removal of fats and carbs results in a product that has a relatively neutral flavour. Soy protein is also considered a "complete protein" as it contains all of the essential amino acids that are crucial for proper human growth and development. Lipids are added to the meat analog in the form of liquid or semi-liquid glyceride shortening from synthesis, or other sources such as plants or animals. The glycerides could potentially contain unsaturated or saturated long-chain acyl radicals ranging from 12 to around 22 carbon atoms. Due to the target audience of meat alternatives, plant-based lipid sources such as soybean oil, olive oil, canola oil, and others are usually used. While lipids do not contribute to the structure of the meat analog, it is crucial in increasing the palatability and broadening the appeal of the product across the consumer base. Food additives include flavour compounds, colouring agents, leavening agents, and emulsifiers. Sodium bicarb is a commonly used leavening agent in a variety of baked products such as bread and pancakes. The carbon dioxide released aids in the expansion and the unilateral stretching of the protein network during production. A variety of emulsifiers can be used to stabilise the meat analog system. These could include, but are not limited to, polyglycerol monoesters of fatty acids, monoacylglycerol esters of dicarboxylic acids, sucrose monoesters of fatty acids, and phospholipids. Polyglycerol monoesters consist on average of 2-10 glycerol units and an average of one acyl fatty acid group per glycerol component. The polymer is created from esterification reactions with fatty acids and contains 14-16 carbons per polyglycerol moiety. Sucrose monoesters are derived from the esterification of sucrose with a fatty acid ester or a fatty acid and it ideally should have a fatty acyl group ranging from 14-18 carbon atoms. Lastly, phospholipid such as lecithin, cephalin, and sphingomyelin can also be used as effective emulsifiers. In addition, some of the emulsifiers act as a lubricant during the extrusion process. Overall the composition of dry protein mix can contain between 30-100% water-hydratable, heat-coagulable protein by weight. A dry mix that contains 100% protein content yields the most desirable fibrous texture, but from the palatability standpoint between 50-70% was determined to generate the most positive feedback. 
The Indian Plant-Based Meat Industry, Poised to Grow
2021 was the most active year to date for smart protein company and brand launches, private investments, and retail sales, signalling a forward shift in the mock meat industry. The year also saw critical research performed in pioneering new technologies in plant-based protein manufacturing, as shear-cell technology and 3D printing were explored as viable pathways to develop plant-based foods. In US retail, one signal of high activity in the alternative protein space was the influx of more than 100 new brands selling plant-based products. Closer home, in India, there are now more than 50 smart protein companies active, as captured in the Entrepreneur Database of GFI India. Of these, 25 of them have been launched after 2019, indicating the massive strides the sector has made over the last two years, when the Indian smart protein sector truly took off. 2021 was smart protein’s breakout year in India, and investment in India’s smart protein sector is poised to grow exponentially from the USD 10.34 million that the country saw last year. Additionally, there are 80+ supporting companies within the larger ecosystem, comprising co-manufacturers, R&D technical consultants, ingredient suppliers, equipment manufacturers, IP licensing and regulatory advisors, business consultants, and more, who are all a part of the broader B2B landscape for plant-based meat production in India. India is one of the most vulnerable countries to the growing climate crisis, water scarcity, and other issues that smart protein holds the potential to solve for, and consumer perception in India around plant-based meats is also rapidly evolving. For instance, GFI India's cross-country survey of consumer acceptance of plant-based and cultivated meat, indicated that 63% of Indian consumers are very or extremely likely to purchase plant-based meat, which compared favourably with the US and China, making the country an increasingly viable market for smart protein startups to enter. (The plant-based meat acceptance results were corroborated by a study by IPSOS, which had similar results.) Data source: GFI India. 