LONDON – After four years as a biomedical engineer specializing in 3D printing of tissue and organs in Barcelona, Giuseppe Scionti had a radical idea for another use for the technology: creating food.
Once preoccupied with perfecting the mince-like patty of the plant-based burger, the alternative protein industry is now turning its attention to more ambitious products whose textures are like actual “cuts” of steak and chicken breast. According to alternative protein specialists, replicating the look and the feel of a cut of meat is far more challenging than mimicking the ground equivalent.
“Many of these potentially disruptive alternatives come with promises, from reducing greenhouse gas emissions to transforming nutrition and health,” said Charles Godfray, a professor at Oxford university’s Oxford Martin School. Meanwhile in the U.S., Beyond Meat, which has partnered with KFC to trial chicken nuggets, told analysts recently that the company was “focused on introducing a more fibrous architecture” of chicken that is closer to breast meat.
Depends who you're selling to. Fine for vegans who want to fit in at BBQs. If you're selling this to omnivores, make food that tastes good and isn't the nutrition equivalent of eating compost. Make it more like Indian vegetarian food and less a creation from Frankenstein's lab.