{"id":2273,"date":"2012-03-21T14:40:36","date_gmt":"2012-03-21T19:40:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/realfoodhouston.com\/?p=2273"},"modified":"2014-09-27T18:53:30","modified_gmt":"2014-09-27T23:53:30","slug":"demand-for-fake-meats-is-growing-why-not-eat-real-meat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.realfoodhouston.com\/wp-files\/2012\/03\/21\/demand-for-fake-meats-is-growing-why-not-eat-real-meat\/","title":{"rendered":"Demand for FAKE meats is growing; why not eat REAL meat?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Textured<\/a>

TVP chunks<\/p><\/div>\n

The\u00a0Salt<\/em> blog on NPR.com says in its article Meat Substitute Market Beefs Up<\/a><\/em>: “110 new meat substitute products were introduced in 2010 and 2011 . . . giving people who are looking for tasty alternatives to meat a lot more choice.”\u00a0 So if\u00a0these products are\u00a0not real<\/em> meat, then what are they and why is demand increasing?\u00a0 This article never says what they are made of, just calls them “veggie burgers” and “fake meat products.”\u00a0 The closest the Salt<\/em> comes to identifying the ingredients in these products is in the chosen photo\u00a0of seitan (made from wheat gluten)\u00a0accompanying the story.<\/p>\n

I’ve already written about an animal fat substitute made from cellulose incorporated into an oleogel [Coming soon, the ‘Frankenfurter’–ethylcellulose in the oleogel!<\/a>];<\/em> however, the oleogel\u00a0didn’t replace all the meat, only some of the animal fat.\u00a0 I decided to find out what kinds of\u00a0fake meats there are and how they’re made.<\/p>\n

Wikipedia says<\/a> that “A meat analogue, also called a meat substitute, mock meat, faux meat, or imitation meat [what about just fake meat?], approximates the aesthetic qualities (primarily texture, flavor, and appearance) and\/or chemical characteristics of specific types of meat.\u00a0 Many analogues are soy-based . . .”\u00a0 The most common\u00a0types of fake meat include tofu, tempeh, textured vegetable protein (TVP), wheat gluten or seitan (as pictured in the NPR article), and Quorn.\u00a0 Let’s look at what they are and how they’re made.<\/p>\n

Tofu<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\"Tofu<\/a>

Tofu at a Chinese market<\/p><\/div>\n

Tofu<\/a>, also called bean curd, is made by coagulating soy ‘milk’ and pressing the resulting curds into blocks.\u00a0\u00a0Soy ‘milk’ is made by\u00a0soaking, grinding, boiling, and straining dried soybeans.\u00a0 Although most tofu available in our markets is not fermented, there is a variety of tofu, called pickled tofu,\u00a0that is fermented by allowing cubes of fresh tofu to “air-dry under hay and slowly ferment from aerial bacteria” after which it is soaked in a mixture of salt water, wine, vinegar, and flavorings.\u00a0\u00a0 Another version of fermented tofu, called stinky tofu [and it probably does, too], is made with soft tofu fermented in a vegetable and fish brine.\u00a0 Special note here<\/em>: since most commercial tofu available in U.S. markets is not fermented,\u00a0it would have the health problems found in other unfermented soy foods.<\/p>\n

Tempeh<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\"Sliced<\/a>

Sliced tempeh<\/p><\/div>\n

Tempeh<\/a> is a soy product that originated in Indonesia probably in the 1800’s.\u00a0 To make tempeh, the soybeans are naturally cultured and fermented into a cake form.\u00a0 The fermentation gives tempeh more protein, vitamins, and fiber, as well as an earthy flavor.\u00a0 It also makes the soy carbohydrates more digestible and reduces the phytic acid.\u00a0 Wikipedia says that in Western countries, the tempeh may have little B12 due to the choice of culturing agents.<\/p>\n

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Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\"TVP_flakes\"<\/a>

TVP Flakes<\/p><\/div>\n

TVP<\/a>–also called textured soy protein (TSP), soy meat, or soya meat–is made from soy flour\u00a0after the oil has been extracted.\u00a0 Here’s the process for making TVP:<\/p>\n

It is extruded into various shapes (chunks, flakes, nuggets, grains, and strips) and sizes, exiting the nozzle while still hot and expanding as it does so.[3] The defatted thermoplastic proteins are heated to 150-200\u00b0C, which denatures them into a fibrous, insoluble, porous network that can soak up as much as three times its weight in liquids. As the pressurized molten protein mixture exits the extruder, the sudden drop in pressure causes rapid expansion into a puffy solid that is then dried. As much as 50% protein when dry, TVP can be rehydrated at a 2:1 ratio, which drops the percentage of protein to an approximation of ground meat at 16%.
\n. . .
\nMany TVP producers use hexane<\/a> to separate soy fat from soy protein, and trace amounts of the solvent are left after manufacturing.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Where is TVP used?\u00a0 It’s often used as a meat extender by food service, retail facilities,\u00a0and institutions such as schools and prisons.\u00a0 Why is it used?\u00a0 Because it’s cheap and has a long shelf life.\u00a0 BTW, even a very pro-TVP website <\/a>added this caveat: “TVP can create some gas. Beano would help.”\u00a0 It also claims that “your body will get used to it.”<\/p>\n

Wheat gluten\/Seitan<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\"Seitan\"<\/a>

Wheat gluten or seitan<\/p><\/div>\n

Wheat gluten<\/a>–also called seitan, wheat meat, mock duck, gluten meat, or gluten–“is made by washing wheat flour dough with water until all the starch dissolves, leaving insoluble gluten as an elastic mass which is then cooked before being eaten.”\u00a0\u00a0 It can have a chewy or stringy texture that makes it resemble real meat more than other fake meats such as TVP or tofu.\u00a0 Seitan was developed about 1962 by a macrobiotic teacher as a salty seasoning for brown rice but the name has gradually come to refer to any wheat gluten.\u00a0 Wheat gluten is used in commercial products by Morningstar Farms and Tofurkey.\u00a0 Wheat gluten can also be used as a protein source in pet foods and was associated with the 2007 melamine-contaminated Chinese pet food recalls.<\/p>\n

Quorn<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\"Quorn\"<\/a>

Quorn fillets<\/p><\/div>\n

Quorn is a brand of lab-created fake meat\u00a0“made from the soil mould\u00a0Fusarium venenatum . . .”The fungus is “grown in continuously oxygenated water in large, otherwise sterile fermentation tanks. Glucose is added as food for the fungus, as are vitamins and minerals to improve the food value of the product. The resulting mycoprotein is then extracted and heat-treated . . .” The product is dried and mixed with egg albumen, which acts as a binder. It is then textured, giving it some of the grained character of meat, and pressed either into a mince resembling ground beef; forms resembling chicken breasts, meatballs, and turkey roasts; or chunks resembling diced chicken breast.There has been some controversy over advertising for Quorn that claimed it was “mushroom-based.” The fungus that produces Quorn is not a mushroom.<\/p>\n

Update September 27, 2014:<\/em><\/strong> “Safety Questions Loom Over Quorn Brand Meat Substitute<\/a>.” “Reported adverse effects from Quorn include nausea, cramps, diarrhea, forceful vomiting, and anaphylactic reactions.”<\/p>\n

Vegetarian cutlet<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

This fake meat,\u00a0vegetarian cutlet, is a new, lab-created\u00a0one\u00a0not\u00a0yet on the market (maybe later in 2012).\u00a0 As opposed to the hot extrusion process for making TVP, this new cutlet is made by slowly boiling and then slowly cooling water and plant proteins. “As the temperature sinks, the protein molecules start to form chains.\u00a0 This gives rise to a fibrous structure that is quite similar to that of meat.”\u00a0 The\u00a0proteins can be made from a variety of plants, including wheat, peas, lupins, or soybeans.\u00a0 The team at Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV that\u00a0developed this fake meat is still working on improving the flavor, but they claim that the consistency and texture are “already superb.”\u00a0 We can only imagine the additives and flavoring agents that will be put into this product to make it taste good.\u00a0 Do you really believe it will be a healthy food when they’re done?\u00a0 The\u00a0vegetarian cutlet\u00a0will be\u00a0debuted at the Anuga FoodTec fair in Cologne in March 2012.<\/p>\n

Update added\u00a0June 20, 2012:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Veggie Chicken Strips<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\"Beyond<\/a>

Beyond Meat ‘Chicken’<\/p><\/div>\n

As of June 2012, there’s a new type of fake meat on the market, made by Beyond Meat \u2122<\/a>. This one is absolutely NOT REAL FOOD. There’s nothing natural, traditional, or healthy about it.<\/p>\n

Here are the ingredients:<\/em><\/p>\n

Water, Soy Protein Isolate, Pea Protein Isolate, Amaranth, Chicken Flavor (Maltodextrin, Yeast Extract, Natural Flavoring), Soy Fiber, Carrot Fiber, Expeller-Pressed Canola Oil, Dipotassium Phosphate, Titanium Dioxide, White Vinegar<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And here’s how it’s made<\/a>:<\/em><\/p>\n

The facility is what Brown [founder of Beyond Meat \u2122]\u00a0calls the modern farm. It smells like chicken soup, but there are no animals here. Except for the hum of various heating and processing machines, it’s quiet. It looks more like a lab than a kitchen<\/strong>. . . . Milstead’s [Beyond Meat \u2122 employee] bucket contains a dry mix of soy and pea powder, carrot fiber and gluten-free flour. Through a process the company licensed exclusively from the University of Missouri, the mix is cooked, cooled and extruded through a customized machine<\/strong>. . . .Brown stands at the other end of the machine, pulling out chunks of pale white strips that tear like cooked chicken. The entire process \u2014 from powder to product \u2014 takes about 15 seconds<\/strong>. [emphasis mine]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Here’s why it’s made:<\/em><\/p>\n

Ethan Brown<\/a>,\u00a0the founder of Beyond Meat,\u00a0became a vegan out of concern for animals’ welfare but was “frustrated by ‘fake meat’ options available.”\u00a0 He bought exclusive licensing rights<\/a> for the process<\/a> from\u00a0a biological engineering professor at the University of Missouri.\u00a0Producing the new fake meat\u00a0requires a\u00a0facility that can subject the powdered ingredients to\u00a0very high heat, extrusion, and quick cooling.\u00a0 “It looks more like a lab than a kitchen.”\u00a0 And, the process takes\u00a0only 15 seconds–how’s that for extreme processing?\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Could we make this at home?\u00a0 Absolutely not!\u00a0 Would we want to?<\/p>\n

There is apparently no pretense that the product is anything other than fake.\u00a0 Advertising says that it “will fool your taste buds.”\u00a0 The employees admit they make ‘fake chicken.’\u00a0 In addition to extreme processing and lack of real food ingredients, this new fake meat has all the problems with soy that are described below.\u00a0 Although the product seems to be aimed at vegans, many vegans said\u00a0that they did not approve of this or any other\u00a0fake meat or fake food, calling\u00a0it vegan junk food.\u00a0 They wanted to eat real, but plant-based only, foods.\u00a0 Most comments from those who have tried the new product said that it tasted like chicken, but, since it’s bland, it’s best when\u00a0used with other flavorful ingredients, like in curries or salads.\u00a0 The company promises fake beef in the near future.<\/p>\n

What are some of the problems with fake meat?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Well now that we know what some of these fake meats are and how they’re made,\u00a0should we eat them?\u00a0 Let’s look at the soy-based fake meats first–tofu, tempeh, and TVP.\u00a0 First question: how important is your health?\u00a0 Eating soy can cause\u00a0potentially significant health\u00a0problems.\u00a0 Here are some of them,\u00a0from Soy Alert! on the Weston A. Price Foundation website (the website has links to many studies about the adverse effects of soy):<\/p>\n