Vegetarian Cutlet: New Method to Prepare a Meat Substitute

Meat production is complicated, costly and not eco-friendly: fatted animals have to consume five to eight kilos of grain just to generate one kilogram of meat. It would be simpler and more sustainable if one were to make cutlets out of seed -- without the detour through the animal's body. Impossible? Not entirely: there are plants that are suitable for the production of meat substitute products.

"The processing technology was the biggest challenge," recalls the project manager. Wild and his colleagues use a new process specially developed for meat substitutes: The main ingredients -- water and plant proteins -- are brought to a boil and slowly cooled down.

The prototype of the new vegetarian cutlet factory is currently located in the IVV laboratory. The system is no larger than two table tennis tables. On request, it can produce one endless piece of meat approximately 1-cm thick that can be shaped as desired, for example into little morsels for diced or thinly-sliced meats, or entire cutlets. The research team is currently able to produce 60 to 70 kilos of the meat substitute per hour -- or 300 to 500 kilos per day.

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