Food tech company Nourish Ingredients has unveiled an animal-free fat that food makers can use to create products that cook, smell, and taste like traditional meat – sans animal ingredients or artificial chemicals.
The innovation, dubbed Tastilux, aims to accelerate the shift toward a “humane and sustainable food system” by making plant proteins “more delicious”. Its breakthrough fat is naturally derived and scaled through precision fermentation.
According to the company, while plant proteins are beginning to become part of consumers’ diets, many have failed to convince a broader audience because they don’t deliver the “taste and experience” traditional meat eaters want.
Tastilux was developed by the company’s team of scientists for more than three years, using lipids found in nature (the actual source was not disclosed). The proprietary fat offers the distinct taste and aroma of traditional meat fats and real cooking reactions when used in plant-based chicken, beef, pork or other proteins.
James Petrie, CEO of Nourish Ingredients, said the company saw an opportunity to revolutionise plant proteins by harnessing the power of fat.
“Our unique process unlocks new possibilities for plant protein foods to deliver the satisfying taste and texture consumers crave.”
He explained that to replicate cooked meat’s rich, authentic flavour, the company analysed the most flavourful animal fats in their uncooked state and fermented the most potent natural animal-free fats to recreate its taste.
“Tastilux represents a quantum leap in making plant-based meats live up to the rich, fatty taste and cooking performance consumers want and love,” Petrie concluded.
