the meat substitute with more protein than even chicken breast that is not fake meat
Ali Rosen
2021-03-05
<div><div><p>Step aside, <a href="https://www.today.com/food/we-tried-baked-feta-pasta-dish-s-viral-tiktok-today-t206835">baked feta pasta</a>: There is a new trend in TikTok town, and it's … flour and water?</p><p>On Feb. 19, TikTok user <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@futurelettuce?">@FutureLettuce</a> <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@futurelettuce/video/6931144450911636741">posted a video</a> of what he called his "2-ingredient chicken replacement," and it has since exploded online. In just a few steps of creating a dough and then washing the starch out of flour, the video showcases a dish that pulls apart and looks surprisingly like, well, chicken. But for the <a href="https://www.today.com/food/black-vegan-why-so-many-black-americans-are-embracing-plant-t209743">dedicated vegans</a> among us, this method isn't anything new. It’s simply a version of the dish most commonly known as seitan, a form of wheat gluten that has been documented all the way back to 6th century China.</p><p>FutureLettuce (as he prefers to be known) was well aware he wasn’t inventing a new concept when he made his video, but he didn’t include the wider reference because, “I never thought it would be seen by anyone," he told <a href="https://www.today.com/food">TODAY Food</a>. But with almost 10 million views, there is something about the simple act of turning flour into a wheat meat that has resonated. As he posited, “I think the video got attention because most people weren’t expecting the end result. Watching someone squeeze a dough ball for a minute is not the most appealing thing, but seeing it shred like chicken is in direct contrast, at least for most viewers.”</p><p>For plant-based chefs, the moment of virality is a unique opportunity to speak to more people about meat alternatives.</p><p>“I’m tired of speaking into an echo chamber of plant-based people,” <a href="https://www.instagram.com/chefpriyanka/">Priyanka Naik</a>, vegan chef and author of the upcoming "<a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Modern-Tiffin/Priyanka-Naik/9781982177089">The Modern Tiffin</a>," told TODAY, “They are already on my side. We need to talk to people who might not know as much about it. I think this is a great way to start a conversation.”</p><h2>What is seitan?</h2><p>Seitan has been around commercially for years, but it often has been overshadowed by more popular meat-alternatives that are soy-based, like tofu. Its simplicity is its strength and part of the reason why it has been a staple in vegetarian diets for centuries. It is derived from wheat gluten, which is the main protein in wheat. When you wash out all of the starch from flour, you are left with just the gluten, which has a chewy, fibrous texture often compared to meat.</p><figure><figcaption>You can use seitan as you would any piece of chicken — add it to tacos, stir-fries, casseroles, pasta and more.Ali Rosen</figcaption></figure><p>Seitan is also a protein powerhouse: a quarter cup can have over 20 grams of protein. And because the starch has been washed out, it is very low in carbohydrates and is naturally low in fat. The other major advantage of seitan’s simplicity is that it is a chameleon when it comes to flavor. With only two fairly tasteless ingredients as a base, you can make use of seitan with any kind of condiment you'd normally used on chicken, like <a href="https://www.today.com/food/america-s-most-popular-bbq-sauces-explained-t147234">barbecue sauce</a>, teriyaki sauce or <a href="https://www.today.com/food/story-about-grandmother-s-10-year-old-gochujang-goes-viral-t203959">gochujang</a>, and have the texture and protein of a meat — without the actual meat.</p><p>It is also getting plaudits for its low cost. FutureLettuce is hoping that the intimate nature of TikTok can take away some of the artifice and wealthy glow that often surrounds the vegan lifestyle: “It is often seen as an overly-expensive diet for upper-class white people, which totally ignores the non-white roots of pretty much all vegan foods and also the majority of vegans who are working class," he said.</p><p>Naik also views the expensive reputation of veganism as a frequent stumbling block, and the rise of seitan could be a gateway into changing that narrative: “What I strive to do as a vegan chef is show people that you can literally walk into any grocery store and not have to buy any fancy stuff to live a plant-based life," she said.</p><h2>Can everyone eat seitan?</h2><p>But for all of its positives, there are some health factors to consider with seitan: It isn’t a complete protein because it is missing the essential amino acid lysine, which is found in most natural proteins, like meat, cheese and beans. And because of its high gluten content, it is not a viable alternative for those with <a href="https://www.today.com/health/living-gluten-free-why-celiac-disease-such-frustrating-diagnosis-t130099">celiac disease</a> or a <a href="https://www.today.com/health/what-gluten-free-diet-here-s-everything-you-need-know-t202154">gluten sensitivity</a>.</p><p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/yoliouiya">Yoli Ouiya</a>, co-founder of the <a href="https://foodwellnessequity.com/">Food and Wellness Equity Collective</a>, said that anyone who even suspects gluten intolerance should be careful. While seitan can be a good crutch for an occasional meal, it isn’t a full replacement.</p><div><a href="https://www.today.com/recipes/easy-seitan-recipe-t210853"></a><p>Ali Rosen</p></div><p>“I know we’re looking to reduce our meat consumption, but you should really be increasing your consumption of vegetables. It shouldn’t all be fake meat,” Ouiya told TODAY. “Seitan is a binding food. If it has that level of elasticity and goopiness in your hands, imagine how it will go through your body. Yes there are some nutrients in the flour but subsequently think about if you’re eating this every day. It's still processed.”</p><p>So, what if we want to include seitan in our <a href="https://www.today.com/health/interested-plant-based-diet-here-s-what-you-need-know-t199909">balanced diets</a> and give <a href="https://www.today.com/food/what-plant-based-meat-here-are-our-top-10-product-t160303">plant-based meat</a> a try? You can certainly purchase seitan if you aren’t looking to spend your time washing flour, and most of the ingredients will be as simple as the homemade version. But if you want to give the <a href="https://www.today.com/recipes/easy-seitan-recipe-t210853">recipe</a> a whirl yourself, it truly is as easy as washing and waiting with the two-ingredient wonder that is seitan.</p><h2>How do you make seitan?</h2><figure><figcaption>Put the dough in a bowl of cool water for at least an hour to allow the gluten to form.Ali Rosen</figcaption></figure><p>First, combine 3 cups of all-purpose flour and 1 cup of water in a bowl (it is always a 1:3 ratio, so scale up or down depending on how much seitan you want to make). Knead the mixture until it comes together in a ball. Put the dough in a bowl of cool water for at least an hour (but no longer than 6 hours) to allow the gluten to form.</p><figure><figcaption>You'll know the dough is ready when it looks and feels stringy — kind of like meat.Ali Rosen</figcaption></figure><p>Then it's time to rinse the starch away. Knead the dough under the water and every time it gets very cloudy, dump it out and add new water; use a colander here to ensure you don't lose any dough. The dough is ready when the water is almost clear, and the dough looks stringy. Let it rest in the colander for 30 minutes to an hour.</p><figure><figcaption>Spice up your dough with whichever flavors you like.Ali Rosen</figcaption></figure><p>Add in whatever flavoring you want: Spices, seasonings and other ingredients can all be incorporated at this stage. Stretch and knot the dough to help shape it. Allow the seitan to rest for at least 20 more minutes (or you can keep it in this stage for up to a day, if you'd like).</p><figure><figcaption>Cook the seitan on each side until it browns.Ali Rosen</figcaption></figure><p>When you are ready to cook, place a deep pan on medium high heat with a bit of oil. Cook the seitan for approximately 5 minutes on each side, or until it browns. Then add water or broth to cover and let it cook covered on a low simmer for approximately 2 hours (whatever liquid you cook it in will impart its flavor into the seitan, so use more or less flavoring as you'd like).</p><figure><figcaption>Just like meat, you should let it rest after it cooks. Then, you can shred away.Ali Rosen</figcaption></figure><p>When the seitan is done cooking, you can eat it, but it is best to let it rest in the refrigerator in the liquid for at least 8 hours to fully firm up. Use the seitan as you would any piece of chicken — add it to tacos, stir-fries, casseroles, pasta and whatever else your heart desires.</p></div>||||I|||| IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.

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 Trends

 Seitan is trending right now. What is the 2-ingredient meat alternative?

 The meat alternative is taking over TikTok right now, but it's actually centuries old.

 What is this so-called "2-ingredient chicken replacement"? Ali Rosen
 Link copied
 March 5, 2021, 5:42 PM UTC
 By Ali Rosen

 Step aside, baked feta pasta: There is a new trend in TikTok town, and it's … flour and water?

 On Feb. 19, TikTok user @FutureLettuce posted a video of what he called his "2-ingredient chicken replacement," and it has since exploded online. In just a few steps of creating a dough and then washing the starch out of flour, the video showcases a dish that pulls apart and looks surprisingly like, well, chicken. But for the dedicated vegans among us, this method isn't anything new. It’s simply a version of the dish most commonly known as seitan, a form of wheat gluten that has been documented all the way back to 6th century China.

 @futurelettuce

 2-ingredient chicken replacement 🌱✨ ##washedflour ##wtfmethod ##veganrecipes ##vegantiktok ##foodtiktok ##foryou ##fyp

 ♬ original sound - 🗿

 FutureLettuce (as he prefers to be known) was well aware he wasn’t inventing a new concept when he made his video, but he didn’t include the wider reference because, “I never thought it would be seen by anyone," he told TODAY Food. But with almost 10 million views, there is something about the simple act of turning flour into a wheat meat that has resonated. As he posited, “I think the video got attention because most people weren’t expecting the end result. Watching someone squeeze a dough ball for a minute is not the most appealing thing, but seeing it shred like chicken is in direct contrast, at least for most viewers.”

 @texykitchen1

 Trying @futurelettuce vegan chicken recipe #washedflour #vegantiktok #veganrecipes #Seitan #meatless #learnontiktok #fyp #foryou #homecook

 ♬ original sound - Two Friends

 For plant-based chefs, the moment of virality is a unique opportunity to speak to more people about meat alternatives.

 “I’m tired of speaking into an echo chamber of plant-based people,” Priyanka Naik, vegan chef and author of the upcoming "The Modern Tiffin," told TODAY, “They are already on my side. We need to talk to people who might not know as much about it. I think this is a great way to start a conversation.”

 @foodbyhailey

 I tried @futurelettuce fake chicken recipe #washedflour #wtfmethod #vegantiktok #foodtiktok #recipe #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #seitan #recipesoftiktok

 ♬ Summer - Instrumental - Devinney

 What is seitan?

 Seitan has been around commercially for years, but it often has been overshadowed by more popular meat-alternatives that are soy-based, like tofu. Its simplicity is its strength and part of the reason why it has been a staple in vegetarian diets for centuries. It is derived from wheat gluten, which is the main protein in wheat. When you wash out all of the starch from flour, you are left with just the gluten, which has a chewy, fibrous texture often compared to meat.

 You can use seitan as you would any piece of chicken — add it to tacos, stir-fries, casseroles, pasta and more. Ali Rosen

 Seitan is also a protein powerhouse: a quarter cup can have over 20 grams of protein. And because the starch has been washed out, it is very low in carbohydrates and is naturally low in fat. The other major advantage of seitan’s simplicity is that it is a chameleon when it comes to flavor. With only two fairly tasteless ingredients as a base, you can make use of seitan with any kind of condiment you'd normally used on chicken, like barbecue sauce, teriyaki sauce or gochujang, and have the texture and protein of a meat — without the actual meat.

 Related

 Food

 Food What is jackfruit? All about the fruit that cooks and shreds like meat

 It is also getting plaudits for its low cost. FutureLettuce is hoping that the intimate nature of TikTok can take away some of the artifice and wealthy glow that often surrounds the vegan lifestyle: “It is often seen as an overly-expensive diet for upper-class white people, which totally ignores the non-white roots of pretty much all vegan foods and also the majority of vegans who are working class," he said.

 Naik also views the expensive reputation of veganism as a frequent stumbling block, and the rise of seitan could be a gateway into changing that narrative: “What I strive to do as a vegan chef is show people that you can literally walk into any grocery store and not have to buy any fancy stuff to live a plant-based life," she said.

 Related

 Food

 Food Black and vegan: Why so many Black Americans are embracing the plant-based life

 Can everyone eat seitan?

 But for all of its positives, there are some health factors to consider with seitan: It isn’t a complete protein because it is missing the essential amino acid lysine, which is found in most natural proteins, like meat, cheese and beans. And because of its high gluten content, it is not a viable alternative for those with celiac disease or a gluten sensitivity.

 Yoli Ouiya, co-founder of the Food and Wellness Equity Collective, said that anyone who even suspects gluten intolerance should be careful. While seitan can be a good crutch for an occasional meal, it isn’t a full replacement.

 Ali Rosen

 Get The Recipe

 Easy Seitan

 Ali Rosen

 “I know we’re looking to reduce our meat consumption, but you should really be increasing your consumption of vegetables. It shouldn’t all be fake meat,” Ouiya told TODAY. “Seitan is a binding food. If it has that level of elasticity and goopiness in your hands, imagine how it will go through your body. Yes there are some nutrients in the flour but subsequently think about if you’re eating this every day. It's still processed.”

 So, what if we want to include seitan in our balanced diets and give plant-based meat a try? You can certainly purchase seitan if you aren’t looking to spend your time washing flour, and most of the ingredients will be as simple as the homemade version. But if you want to give the recipe a whirl yourself, it truly is as easy as washing and waiting with the two-ingredient wonder that is seitan.

 How do you make seitan?

 Put the dough in a bowl of cool water for at least an hour to allow the gluten to form. Ali Rosen

 First, combine 3 cups of all-purpose flour and 1 cup of water in a bowl (it is always a 1:3 ratio, so scale up or down depending on how much seitan you want to make). Knead the mixture until it comes together in a ball. Put the dough in a bowl of cool water for at least an hour (but no longer than 6 hours) to allow the gluten to form.

 You'll know the dough is ready when it looks and feels stringy — kind of like meat. Ali Rosen

 Then it's time to rinse the starch away. Knead the dough under the water and every time it gets very cloudy, dump it out and add new water; use a colander here to ensure you don't lose any dough. The dough is ready when the water is almost clear, and the dough looks stringy. Let it rest in the colander for 30 minutes to an hour.

 Spice up your dough with whichever flavors you like. Ali Rosen

 Add in whatever flavoring you want: Spices, seasonings and other ingredients can all be incorporated at this stage. Stretch and knot the dough to help shape it. Allow the seitan to rest for at least 20 more minutes (or you can keep it in this stage for up to a day, if you'd like).

 Cook the seitan on each side until it browns. Ali Rosen

 When you are ready to cook, place a deep pan on medium high heat with a bit of oil. Cook the seitan for approximately 5 minutes on each side, or until it browns. Then add water or broth to cover and let it cook covered on a low simmer for approximately 2 hours (whatever liquid you cook it in will impart its flavor into the seitan, so use more or less flavoring as you'd like).

 Just like meat, you should let it rest after it cooks. Then, you can shred away. Ali Rosen

 When the seitan is done cooking, you can eat it, but it is best to let it rest in the refrigerator in the liquid for at least 8 hours to fully firm up. Use the seitan as you would any piece of chicken — add it to tacos, stir-fries, casseroles, pasta and whatever else your heart desires.

 Ali Rosen

 Ali Rosen is the Emmy and James Beard Award-nominated host of "Potluck with Ali Rosen" on NYC Life. She is the author of the cookbook "Bring It!" and the upcoming "Modern Freezer Meals." She has been featured on TODAY, Dr. Oz and NPR's All Things Considered and has written for publications including The Washington Post, Bon Appetit and New York Magazine. She is originally from Charleston, South Carolina but now lives in New York City.

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Seitan is trending right now. What is the 2-ingredient meat alternative?
https://www.today.com/food/what-seitan-how-make-centuries-old-meat-alternative-t210823
Nutrition Diva Monica Reinagel
2018-01-31
<div><div><main><article><header><div><p><a href="https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/"></a></p><p>Get the 411 on seitan and its surprising secret ingredient. Is this meat substitute one to try or one to skip?</p></div></header><section><figure><div></div><figcaption> Credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/24013072@N05/4139727246/">Amy Stephenson </a><em><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/24013072@N05/4139727246/">Flickr</a> </em>(<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/">CC BY-SA 2.0</a>)</figcaption></figure><div>
<p><a href="http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/nutrition-diva"></a>Laurel recently requested an episode on seitan: What the heck is it, how does it stack up nutritionally, and how do you eat it?</p>
<p>Seitan is not a new thing. The word (pronounced say-tan) is Japanese and was coined just 50 years ago by one of the proponents of the<a href="https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/health-fitness/healthy-eating/pros-and-cons-of-a-macrobiotic-diet"> macrobiotic diet</a>. But the food it refers to has been a staple in Asian cultures for at least 15 centuries. I remember seeing it (but not buying it) at the Food Coop I belonged to as an undergraduate at Boston University. Although that was not quite 15 centuries ago, it was still long before the days of Whole Foods stores and yoga studios on every corner. Back then, food coops (and health food, in general) occupied a sort of a fringe culture left over from the Age of Aquarius.</p>
<p>Today, of course, <a href="https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/health-fitness/healthy-eating/can-processed-food-be-healthy">minimally-processed foods</a> and <a href="https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/health-fitness/trends-fads/what-is-a-plant-based-diet">plant-based diets</a> are relatively mainstream pursuits, so a whole new generation of hipsters and Lulu-lemon-wearing moms are getting acquainted with things like <a href="https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/health-fitness/healthy-eating/ask-the-diva/is-kombucha-a-good-probiotic-food">kombucha</a> and seitan.  I talked about kombucha just last week in my <a href="https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/health-fitness/healthy-eating/improve-nutrition-in-fall-autumn">Nutrition Tips for Fall</a>. This week, I have a quick primer on seitan for you.</p><figure></figure>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/health-fitness/healthy-eating/what-is-seitan?utm_source=sciam&amp;utm_campaign=sciam"><em>»Continue reading “What Is Seitan?” on QuickAndDirtyTips.com</em></a></strong></p></div><section><h3>ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S)</h3><section><p></p><div><ul></ul><p>Monica Reinagel, MS,LD/N, CNS, is a board-certified, licensed nutritionist and professionally trained chef, author of <em>Nutrition Diva’s Secrets for a Healthy Diet</em>, and host of the <a href="http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/nutrition-diva">Nutrition Diva</a> podcast on Quick and Dirty Tips.</p></div></section></section></section></article><section><h2>Newsletter</h2><div><h2>Get smart. Sign up for our email newsletter.</h2></div></section></main></div>||||I||||Skip to main content
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 Fitness

 What Is Seitan?

 Get the 411 on seitan and its surprising secret ingredient. Is this meat substitute one to try or one to skip?

 * By Nutrition Diva Monica Reinagel on January 31, 2018
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 Credit: Amy Stephenson Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)

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 Laurel recently requested an episode on seitan: What the heck is it, how does it stack up nutritionally, and how do you eat it?

 Seitan is not a new thing. The word (pronounced say-tan) is Japanese and was coined just 50 years ago by one of the proponents of the macrobiotic diet. But the food it refers to has been a staple in Asian cultures for at least 15 centuries. I remember seeing it (but not buying it) at the Food Coop I belonged to as an undergraduate at Boston University. Although that was not quite 15 centuries ago, it was still long before the days of Whole Foods stores and yoga studios on every corner. Back then, food coops (and health food, in general) occupied a sort of a fringe culture left over from the Age of Aquarius.

 Today, of course, minimally-processed foods and plant-based diets are relatively mainstream pursuits, so a whole new generation of hipsters and Lulu-lemon-wearing moms are getting acquainted with things like kombucha and seitan. I talked about kombucha just last week in my Nutrition Tips for Fall. This week, I have a quick primer on seitan for you.

 Advertisement

 »Continue reading “What Is Seitan?” on QuickAndDirtyTips.com

 ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S)

 Monica Reinagel, MS,LD/N, CNS, is a board-certified, licensed nutritionist and professionally trained chef, author of Nutrition Diva’s Secrets for a Healthy Diet, and host of the Nutrition Diva podcast on Quick and Dirty Tips.

 Recent Articles by Nutrition Diva Monica Reinagel

 * How to Fight PCOS with Diet and Nutrition
 * Is Coffee Flour a New Fair Trade Nutritional Powerhouse?
 * Fiber 2.0--Fiber's New Science of Health-Boosting Benefits

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What Is Seitan?
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-is-seitan/
None
2024-01-01T00:00:00Z
<div><div><div><div><p></p></div><div><p></p><p>APPROVED BY MORE THAN YOUR TASTEBUDS.</p></div></div><section><div><div><div><p></p></div><div><p></p></div></div><div><p></p><h2>OUR</h2><h2>Mission</h2><p></p></div><div><p></p></div></div><div><p>OUR MISSION</p><h3>SERVE LOVE</h3><p>We build meat from plants to nourish and protect our bodies, heal earth and climate, and better share the planet with the miracle of life that surrounds us.</p><a href="https://www.beyondmeat.com/en-US/mission"><span>Our Mission</span></a></div></section><section><div><p></p></div><div><div><p></p></div><div><p>BEYOND BURGER</p><h3>BETTER BURGER. BETTER-FOR-YOU.</h3></div></div></section><section><div><div><p></p></div><div><p></p></div><div><p></p><h2>INGREDIENTS</h2><p></p></div></div><div><p>Meat that’s better:</p><h3><p>FOR YOU. THE PLANET. YOUR TASTE BUDS.</p></h3><p>NO COMPROMISE REQUIRED.</p><a href="https://www.beyondmeat.com/en-US/about/our-ingredients"><span>View Ingredients</span></a></div></section><div><header><p>COOK WITH BEYOND MEAT</p><p>SERVE LOVE</p><p>A collection of American Heart Association Heart-Check Certified Recipes.</p></header></div><div><div><div><p></p></div><div><p></p><h4>Peet's Coffee</h4></div></div><div><h3>Our Partners</h3><h2>YOU’RE BUSY. EAT OUT.</h2><p>Find great restaurants near you.</p></div></div><section><div><h3>WE HAVE THE SUPPORT</h3><h2>OUR COMMUNITY</h2><p>The people, places and communities that Go Beyond® their own limits.</p></div><div><div><p></p><p>I’ve realized another edge I can have to advance myself as both an athlete &amp; individual is my diet. I’m so proud to partner with Beyond Meat. Such a solid crew helping change the way we eat. 💚</p></div><div><p></p><p>I’ve noticed a big difference in how I feel since eating more plant-based foods. That’s why I’m proud to partner with Beyond Meat. Their Beyond Steak is fire and heart-check certified by the American Heart Association. Go get some!</p></div></div></section><div><h2>Bring beyond to your menu</h2><p>Need more reasons to bring Beyond® to your menu? Just ask our partners.</p></div><section><p>JOIN THE MOVEMENT</p><p>To receive exclusive Beyond Meat® offers, updates and more.</p><div><p></p><p>By clicking 'Sign Up', you consent to Beyond Meat® using your email address in accordance with its <a href="https://www.beyondmeat.com/privacy-policy">Privacy Policy</a>. You can opt-out at any time.</p><p></p></div></section></div></div>||||I||||    Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

              APPROVED BY MORE THAN YOUR TASTEBUDS.

          View Now
          Where to Buy

          OUR

          Mission

        OUR MISSION

        SERVE LOVE

        We build meat from plants to nourish and protect our bodies, heal earth and climate, and better share the planet with the miracle of life that surrounds us.

        Our Mission

            BEYOND BURGER

            BETTER BURGER. BETTER-FOR-YOU.

          Product Details
          Where to Buy

          INGREDIENTS

        Meat that’s better:

        FOR YOU. THE PLANET. YOUR TASTE BUDS.

        NO COMPROMISE REQUIRED.

        View Ingredients
        COOK WITH BEYOND MEAT
        SERVE LOVE
        A collection of American Heart Association Heart-Check Certified Recipes.
        View All Recipes

            Peet's Coffee

            Order Now
            Where to Buy

        Our Partners

        YOU’RE BUSY. EAT OUT.

        Find great restaurants near you.

              Enter ZIP
          Go

      WE HAVE THE SUPPORT

      OUR COMMUNITY

      The people, places and communities that Go Beyond® their own limits.

                I’ve realized another edge I can have to advance myself as both an athlete & individual is my diet. I’m so proud to partner with Beyond Meat. Such a solid crew helping change the way we eat. 💚

                    Chiney
                    Ogwumike

                I’ve noticed a big difference in how I feel since eating more plant-based foods. That’s why I’m proud to partner with Beyond Meat. Their Beyond Steak is fire and heart-check certified by the American Heart Association. Go get some!

                    Josh
                    Hart

      Bring beyond to your menu

      Need more reasons to bring Beyond® to your menu? Just ask our partners.

      Start Selling Beyond

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          CONNECT WITH US ON SOCIAL.
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Beyond Meat: Vegan Meat, Plant Based Meat Substitutes
https://www.beyondmeat.com/en-US
None
2024-01-01T00:00:00Z
<div><div><div><div><p></p></div><div><p></p><p>APPROVED BY MORE THAN YOUR TASTEBUDS.</p></div></div><section><div><div><div><p></p></div><div><p></p></div></div><div><p></p><h2>OUR</h2><h2>Mission</h2><p></p></div><div><p></p></div></div><div><p>OUR MISSION</p><h3>SERVE LOVE</h3><p>We build meat from plants to nourish and protect our bodies, heal earth and climate, and better share the planet with the miracle of life that surrounds us.</p><a href="https://www.beyondmeat.com/en-US/mission"><span>Our Mission</span></a></div></section><section><div><p></p></div><div><div><p></p></div><div><p>BEYOND BURGER</p><h3>BETTER BURGER. BETTER-FOR-YOU.</h3></div></div></section><section><div><div><p></p></div><div><p></p></div><div><p></p><h2>INGREDIENTS</h2><p></p></div></div><div><p>Meat that’s better:</p><h3><p>FOR YOU. THE PLANET. YOUR TASTE BUDS.</p></h3><p>NO COMPROMISE REQUIRED.</p><a href="https://www.beyondmeat.com/en-US/about/our-ingredients"><span>View Ingredients</span></a></div></section><div><header><p>COOK WITH BEYOND MEAT</p><p>SERVE LOVE</p><p>A collection of American Heart Association Heart-Check Certified Recipes.</p></header></div><div><div><div><p></p></div><div><p></p><h4>Peet's Coffee</h4></div></div><div><h3>Our Partners</h3><h2>YOU’RE BUSY. EAT OUT.</h2><p>Find great restaurants near you.</p></div></div><section><div><h3>WE HAVE THE SUPPORT</h3><h2>OUR COMMUNITY</h2><p>The people, places and communities that Go Beyond® their own limits.</p></div><div><div><p></p><p>I’ve realized another edge I can have to advance myself as both an athlete &amp; individual is my diet. I’m so proud to partner with Beyond Meat. Such a solid crew helping change the way we eat. 💚</p></div><div><p></p><p>I’ve noticed a big difference in how I feel since eating more plant-based foods. That’s why I’m proud to partner with Beyond Meat. Their Beyond Steak is fire and heart-check certified by the American Heart Association. Go get some!</p></div></div></section><div><h2>Bring beyond to your menu</h2><p>Need more reasons to bring Beyond® to your menu? Just ask our partners.</p></div><section><p>JOIN THE MOVEMENT</p><p>To receive exclusive Beyond Meat® offers, updates and more.</p><div><p></p><p>By clicking 'Sign Up', you consent to Beyond Meat® using your email address in accordance with its <a href="https://www.beyondmeat.com/privacy-policy">Privacy Policy</a>. You can opt-out at any time.</p><p></p></div></section></div></div>||||I||||    Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

              APPROVED BY MORE THAN YOUR TASTEBUDS.

          View Now
          Where to Buy

          OUR

          Mission

        OUR MISSION

        SERVE LOVE

        We build meat from plants to nourish and protect our bodies, heal earth and climate, and better share the planet with the miracle of life that surrounds us.

        Our Mission

            BEYOND BURGER

            BETTER BURGER. BETTER-FOR-YOU.

          Product Details
          Where to Buy

          INGREDIENTS

        Meat that’s better:

        FOR YOU. THE PLANET. YOUR TASTE BUDS.

        NO COMPROMISE REQUIRED.

        View Ingredients
        COOK WITH BEYOND MEAT
        SERVE LOVE
        A collection of American Heart Association Heart-Check Certified Recipes.
        View All Recipes

            Peet's Coffee

            Order Now
            Where to Buy

        Our Partners

        YOU’RE BUSY. EAT OUT.

        Find great restaurants near you.

              Enter ZIP
          Go

      WE HAVE THE SUPPORT

      OUR COMMUNITY

      The people, places and communities that Go Beyond® their own limits.

                I’ve realized another edge I can have to advance myself as both an athlete & individual is my diet. I’m so proud to partner with Beyond Meat. Such a solid crew helping change the way we eat. 💚

                    Chiney
                    Ogwumike

                I’ve noticed a big difference in how I feel since eating more plant-based foods. That’s why I’m proud to partner with Beyond Meat. Their Beyond Steak is fire and heart-check certified by the American Heart Association. Go get some!

                    Josh
                    Hart

      Bring beyond to your menu

      Need more reasons to bring Beyond® to your menu? Just ask our partners.

      Start Selling Beyond

        Already A Partner?

        View Our Resources

    JOIN THE MOVEMENT

    To receive exclusive Beyond Meat® offers, updates and more.

        Email
    Sign Up

        By clicking 'Sign Up', you consent to Beyond Meat® using your email address in accordance with its Privacy Policy. You can opt-out at any time.

          CONNECT WITH US ON SOCIAL.
                COUNTRY / REGION
            OUR COMPANY
                MissionNewsroomInvestorsCareers
            OUR COMPANY
            MissionNewsroomInvestorsCareers
            OUR PRODUCTS
                ProductsIngredientsRecipesBuy
            OUR PRODUCTS
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            Sell our productsCustomer portal
            GET IN TOUCH
                FAQsContact us
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      © 2024 Beyond Meat Inc. All Rights Reserved.
        Terms of UseDo Not Sell or Share My InfoPrivacy Policy

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        ×
        SELECT YOUR COUNTRY / REGION
        Austria (De) Canada (En) Canada (Fr) France (Fr) Germany (De) Netherlands (Du) Sweden (Se) United Kingdom (En) United States (En)
Beyond Meat: Vegan Meat, Plant Based Meat Substitutes
https://www.beyondmeat.com/en-US
Pat Brown, Founder of Impossible Foods
2024-01-01T00:00:00Z
<div><div><div><h2>Speaking Of Meat From Plants…</h2><div><div><div><div><div><p></p></div></div><p></p></div><h3>Ground Beef <br/>Meat From Plants</h3></div><div><div><div><div><p></p></div></div><p></p></div><h3>Lite Ground Beef <br/>Meat From Plants</h3></div><div><div><div><div><p></p></div></div><p></p></div><h3>Hot Dogs <br/>Meat From Plants</h3></div><div><div><div><div><p></p></div></div><p></p></div><h3>Burger Patties <br/>Meat From Plants</h3></div><div><div><div><div><p></p></div></div><p></p></div><h3>Indulgent Burger Patties <br/>Meat From Plants</h3></div><div><div><div><div><p></p></div></div><p></p></div><h3>Homestyle Meatballs <br/>Meat From Plants</h3></div></div></div><div><h2>Want Recipe Inspo? We Got You.</h2><div><p><span><span></span><span>Flex On Everyone At</span><span></span></span><span><span>The Potluck</span></span></p><div><div><div><div><p></p></div></div><div><p><span>chicken</span></p><h3>Spicy Chicken Patty Hot Honey Sandwich</h3><p><span>Super easy</span><span>35 min</span><span>5 servings</span></p><p><a href="https://impossiblefoods.com/recipes/spicy-chicken-patties-hot-honey-sandwich"><span><span>View Recipe</span></span><span></span></a></p></div></div><div><div><div><p></p></div></div><div><p><span>Sausage</span></p><h3>Sausage Links with Chimichurri</h3><p><span>Super easy</span><span>25 min</span><span>4 servings</span></p><p><a href="https://impossiblefoods.com/recipes/grilled-sausage-links-with-chimichurri"><span><span>View Recipe</span></span><span></span></a></p></div></div><div><div><div><p></p></div></div><div><p><span>Chicken</span></p><h3>Impossible™ Bird Dog Sandwich</h3><p><span>Super easy</span><span>45 min</span><span>4 servings</span></p><p><a href="https://impossiblefoods.com/recipes/bird-dog-sandwich"><span><span>View Recipe</span></span><span></span></a></p></div></div></div></div><p><a href="https://impossiblefoods.com/recipes"><span></span><span><span>View All Recipes</span></span><span></span></a></p></div><div><div><h2><span><span></span><span>Our</span><span></span></span><span><span>Mission</span></span></h2></div><div><p>All we do is look for new ways to make delicious meat that's nutrient-packed, better for the planet, and way better for animals.</p><p>"The way to solve the most important and urgent problem humanity has potentially ever faced turned out to be to figure out how to make the best burger on earth."</p></div></div><div><div><p>We are all about making unbelievably tasty meats that are a nutritious, healthy alternative to the animal version—like our heart-healthy* Lite Ground Beef.</p><p>Our delicious products are nutrient-packed and have 0 mg cholesterol.** And our super meaty beef that made us kind of famous has 19 g protein/serving and 33% less fat than the animal version. Aren't plants amazing?</p><p>* Diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol, and as low as possible in trans fat, may reduce the risk of heart disease.<br/>** Saturated fat per serving: USDA 80/20 animal ground beef 9g; Impossible Beef 6g.</p><a href="https://impossiblefoods.com/sustainable-food"><span><span>More About Our Products</span></span></a></div><div><div><p></p></div></div></div><div><p></p><h2><span><span></span><span>Got Even More Meat</span><span></span></span><span><span>Questions?</span></span></h2><p></p><p>We've got answers to the most common questions about our products, preparation methods, nutrition – you name it.</p></div><div><div><p>Impossible™ Beef is a mix of proteins, flavors, fats, and binders. The key difference from your average beef from animals? Our ingredients are derived from plants. Here's an overview:</p><ul><li><p>Protein from soy</p></li><li><p>Flavor from heme (the molecule that makes meat taste, well, meaty)</p></li><li><p>Fat from sunflower and coconut oils makes it sizzle on the griddle</p></li><li><p>Binders hold it together so you can make anything you want — meatballs, kebabs, patties, and more</p></li></ul><p>Want the details? Click <a href="https://faq.impossiblefoods.com/hc/en-us/articles/360018937494-What-are-the-ingredients-in-Impossible-Beef-Made-From-Plants-?__hstc=226908165.aab90ab2a0449771ee789a87468da1a0.1709760650272.1712068074493.1712088250469.35&amp;__hssc=226908165.1.1712088250469&amp;__hsfp=901331684">here</a>.</p></div><div><p>Here for quick answers? Cool. Every 4 oz. serving of Impossible™ Beef contains:</p><ul><li><p>19g protein (the same as 80/20 ground beef)</p></li><li><p>0mg cholesterol (6g saturated fat)</p></li><li><p>25% the daily value of iron</p></li><li><p>No antibiotics or animal hormones</p></li></ul><p>Looking for more details? Also cool. Click <a href="https://faq.impossiblefoods.com/hc/en-us/articles/360018939274-What-are-the-nutrition-facts-for-Impossible-Beef-Made-From-Plants-?__hstc=226908165.aab90ab2a0449771ee789a87468da1a0.1709760650272.1712068074493.1712088250469.35&amp;__hssc=226908165.1.1712088250469&amp;__hsfp=901331684">here</a>.</p></div><div><p>Impossible™ Beef Meat From Plants, Impossible™ Sausage Meat From Plants, Impossible™ Meatballs Meat From Plants, and Impossible™ Pork Meat From Plants have no gluten-containing ingredients. Impossible™ Chicken Meat From Plants and Impossible™ Beef Hot Dogs Meat From Plants do contain gluten.</p><p>Want the details? Click <a href="https://faq.impossiblefoods.com/hc/en-us/articles/360024291593-Do-your-products-contain-gluten?__hstc=226908165.aab90ab2a0449771ee789a87468da1a0.1709760650272.1712068074493.1712088250469.35&amp;__hssc=226908165.1.1712088250469&amp;__hsfp=901331684">here</a>.</p></div></div><div><div><div><p></p><h2><span><span></span><span>Meat</span><span></span></span><span><span>Locator</span></span></h2><p></p><p>Where's the meat? This map knows. And it can even give you directions to all the Impossible™ meat from plants you could want.</p><a href="https://impossiblefoods.com/locations"><span></span><span><span>Get Directions</span></span><span></span></a></div></div></div><section><h2>Subscribe to our newsletter</h2><div><p><br/>Opt in for the latest meaty news from Impossible!</p></div></section></div></div>||||I||||      Skip to main content.
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                  Impossible™ Meat From Plants.

                    SAME DELICIOUS MEATY MEAT MEATNESS

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            Speaking Of Meat From Plants…

                  beef 6 sausage 5 chicken 5

                        Ground Beef
                        Meat From Plants

                            Learn More Where to get it

                        Lite Ground Beef
                        Meat From Plants

                            Learn more Where to get it

                        Hot Dogs
                        Meat From Plants

                            Learn More Where to get it

                        Burger Patties
                        Meat From Plants

                            Learn More Where to get it

                        Indulgent Burger Patties
                        Meat From Plants

                            Learn More Where to get it

                        Homestyle Meatballs
                        Meat From Plants

                            Learn More Where to get it
                      * 1
                      * 2
                      * 3
                      * 4

                        Savory Ground Sausage
                        Meat From Plants

                            Learn more Where to get it

                        Savory Sausage Patties
                        Meat From Plants

                            Learn more

                        Spicy Sausage Patties
                        Meat From Plants

                            Learn more Where to get it

                        Bratwurst
                        Meat From Plants

                            Learn more Where to get it

                        Italian Sausage
                        Meat From Plants

                            Learn more Where to get it

                        Chicken Nuggets
                        Meat From Plants

                            Learn more Where to get it

                        Wild Nuggies
                        Meat From Plants

                            Learn more Where to get it

                        Chicken Tenders
                        Meat From Plants

                            Learn more Where to get it

                        Chicken Patties
                        Meat From Plants

                            Learn more Where to get it

                        Spicy Chicken Patties
                        Meat From Plants

                            Learn more Where to get it

            Want Recipe Inspo? We Got You.

                  Fan Faves Burgers Quick

                    Flex On Everyone At The Potluck

                              chicken

                            Spicy Chicken Patty Hot Honey Sandwich

                            Super easy 35 min 5 servings

                            View Recipe
                              Sausage

                            Sausage Links with Chimichurri

                            Super easy 25 min 4 servings

                            View Recipe
                              Chicken

                            Impossible™ Bird Dog Sandwich

                            Super easy 45 min 4 servings

                            View Recipe
                        * 1

                    BURGER, Meet Mouth

                              beef

                            Jalapeño BBQ cheddar burger

                            Super easy 55 min 4 servings

                            View Recipe
                              Beef

                            Americana Sliders

                            _

                            View Recipe
                              Beef

                            G.O.A.T Burger

                            Not too tricky 85 min 4 servings

                            View Recipe

                    Super Impatient? Perfect

                              Chicken

                            Chicken Tender Noodle Bowl

                            _

                            View Recipe
                              Chicken

                            Boneless Wings

                            Super easy 60 min 16 servings

                            View Recipe
                              Sausage

                            Sausage Patty French Toast Sandwich

                            _

                            View Recipe
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              Our Mission

                          Small Actions Big Change

              All we do is look for new ways to make delicious meat that's nutrient-packed, better for the planet, and way better for animals.

              "The way to solve the most important and urgent problem humanity has potentially ever faced turned out to be to figure out how to make the best burger on earth."

            Pat Brown, Founder of Impossible Foods

                      Nutrient-packed Better For The Planet Way Better For Animals Farm Grown

                        We are all about making unbelievably tasty meats that are a nutritious, healthy alternative to the animal version—like our heart-healthy* Lite Ground Beef.

                        Our delicious products are nutrient-packed and have 0 mg cholesterol.** And our super meaty beef that made us kind of famous has 19 g protein/serving and 33% less fat than the animal version. Aren't plants amazing?

                          * Diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol, and as low as possible in trans fat, may reduce the risk of heart disease.
                          ** Saturated fat per serving: USDA 80/20 animal ground beef 9g; Impossible Beef 6g.

                        More About Our Products

                        Animal agriculture's global greenhouse gas footprint is even more massive than that of the global transportation sector—which is every car, ship, plane, and rocket ship on Earth... combined.. Yep, combined.

                        Luckily, we live in a time in history when animals are not the only way to produce everybody's favorite food. Simply choosing Impossible Beef over the animal version uses 96% less land and 92% less water, while generating 91% less greenhouse gases.

                        More About Sustainability

                        Everyone loves meat because it's so craveably delicious. Not because it comes from animals — who even wants to think about that part?

                        Planet of the Cows? 45% of the Earth's land is being used to either raise cows or grow food to feed cows*—all on land that was once wildlife habitat. Newsflash: the cows aren't enjoying it either. By replacing animals in the food system with meat from plants, massive amounts of land and water can be spared for biodiversity and wildlife, not to mention the lives of chickens, cows and pigs.

                          * Based on a Nov 2011 study by the International Livestock Research Institute

                        More About Our Mission

                        Our products are made from plants. You know, grown on farms from the soil of the Earth, cooled by rain and warmed by the sun.

                        The copywriter isn't trying to be poetic, that's just how plants work. We source 99% of the soy in Impossible Beef from lovely American farms.

                        Check out our awesome ingredients

              Got Even More Meat Questions?

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                What Are the Ingredients in Impossible™ Beef Meat From Plants?

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Impossible Foods: Meat made from plants
https://impossiblefoods.com/
Hong, Jinkee
2023-04-11T00:00:00Z
<div><div>
                    <div><h2>Introduction</h2><div><p>With the increasing seriousness of global population growth, environmental problems, and limited resources, new approaches are being developed to replace traditional meat in order to address the environmental, and animal welfare issues associated with traditional livestock farming<sup><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-023-00191-5#ref-CR1">1</a></sup>. Hence, there has been increasing interest in meat substitutes as future food, and various protein sources ranging from plant-based meat alternatives to proteins extracted from microorganisms, microalgae, and insects are being developed. In particular, numerous studies are being conducted on cell-based meat (cultured or cultivated meat) as a sustainable food<sup><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-023-00191-5#ref-CR2">2</a>,<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-023-00191-5#ref-CR3">3</a></sup>.</p><p>Cell-based meat is generally produced by extracting cells from livestock, proliferating them in large quantities, allowing them to differentiate on scaffolds, and processing them to make final products. The most important factor in the commercialization of cell-based meat is the scaling up of production<sup><a href="#ref-CR4">4</a>,<a href="#ref-CR5">5</a>,<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-023-00191-5#ref-CR6">6</a></sup>. Among these aspects, the scaffold is essential for the mass production of cell-based meat as well as forming a part of the food product itself<sup><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-023-00191-5#ref-CR7">7</a>,<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-023-00191-5#ref-CR8">8</a></sup>. However, unlike the scaffolds used for tissue engineering, only food-grade materials should be used when developing a scaffold for cell-based meat and the production cost needs to be low. In addition, the requirement to obtain food-grade approval from food institutions such as the FDA remains a major obstacle to the commercialization of cell-based meat<sup><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-023-00191-5#ref-CR9">9</a></sup>. Therefore, recently, research using cell sheet technology that does not use a 3D scaffold has been presented<sup><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-023-00191-5#ref-CR4">4</a>,<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-023-00191-5#ref-CR7">7</a>,<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-023-00191-5#ref-CR10">10</a></sup>.</p><p>Using food powder as an example, the present study focuses on the manufacture of cell-based meat without the use of a scaffold, thereby providing high commercialization potential due to excellent price competitiveness and high utility. Food powder is used for various purposes such as flour, salt, and as a colorant, and provides a solution to the complexity of food production in daily life<sup><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-023-00191-5#ref-CR11">11</a></sup>. Food powder has beneficial properties such as physicochemical stability as well as being easy to preserve, transport, and process<sup><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-023-00191-5#ref-CR12">12</a></sup>. Despite the advantages of these food powders, alternative proteins such as plant and insect-based powders have limitations in that consumers’ recognition and sensory characteristics need to be improved, so an enhanced form of alternative protein is required<sup><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-023-00191-5#ref-CR2">2</a></sup>. Thus, the fabrication of cell powder meat (CPM) with a suitable meat flavor and high protein content for use as a meat substitute is described herein as shown in Fig. <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-023-00191-5#Fig1">1a</a>. Moreover, this high-protein CPM is manufactured using fewer serum-media than traditional culture media, thereby reducing the price. In addition, the as-fabricated CPM presents possibilities in the cell-based meat market due to its high utility and relative ease of manufacture compared to the existing method of using a scaffold. Hence, this process is expected to serve as a cornerstone for making various types of cell-based meat products, ranging from seasonings such as beef powder to cell-based meat that can be kneaded like flour.</p><div><figure><figcaption><b>Fig. 1: A schematic illustration showing the manufacturing process of cell powder meat (CPM) and cell culture, proliferation, and differentiation in G1, G2, and G3.</b></figcaption><div><div><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-023-00191-5/figures/1"></a></div><p><b>a</b> The manufacturing process of cell powder meat (CPM), the effect of each medium, and the advantages of CPM. Schematic diagrams showing <b>b</b>, the conditions (growth media; GM, differentiation media; DM) and process of cell culture and <b>c</b>, the anticipated results; <b>d</b>, the quantification of cell proliferation via the cck-8 assay; <b>e</b> confocal images of the cultured C2C12 cells stained with DAPI (blue) and MyHC (red) (scale bar: 100 μm); <b>f</b>, the fusion index of the cultured cells. In parts <b>d</b>, <b>f</b> the data are presented as the mean ± standard deviation (<i>n</i> = 3); for the <i>t</i> test, * indicates <i>p</i> &lt; 0.05, and ** indicates <i>p</i> &lt; 0.01, statistically non-significance (n.s). All experiments were conducted independently.</p></div><p><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-023-00191-5/figures/1"><span>Full size image</span></a></p></figure></div></div></div><div><h2>Results and discussions</h2><div><h3>C2C12 cell proliferation and differentiation in various media</h3><p>The C2C12 culture process is shown schematically in Fig. <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-023-00191-5#Fig1">1b</a>. The control group is G1: FBS 10% and experimental groups are G2: FBS 5%, G3: FBS 5% + C-PC (C-phycocyanin). C-pc is known to be used as a substance that can replace FBS by helping myoblast proliferation<sup><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-023-00191-5#ref-CR7">7</a></sup>. The anticipated results of this procedure are shown schematically in Fig. <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-023-00191-5#Fig1">1c</a>, and the results of cell proliferation are presented for each group in Fig. <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-023-00191-5#Fig1">1d</a>. Here, the cells are seen to proliferate most rapidly in G1, which had a high FBS content, during the first 4 days, and perhaps also during the 7-day period, although the difference is not statistically significant. Thus, the degree of cell proliferation before replacing the media with DM is similar in all three groups. In other words, there is no significant difference in the number of cells cultured in G1, G2, and G3, although the number of cells cultured in G1 was slightly higher on average.</p><p>The results of further culture in DM for 5 days are revealed by the confocal images of the stained samples in Fig. <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-023-00191-5#Fig1">1e</a> and Figure S<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-023-00191-5#MOESM1">1</a>, where the expression of MyHC verifies the differentiation of the C2C12 myoblasts into myotubes. In contrast to the proliferation behavior indicated in Fig. <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-023-00191-5#Fig1">1d</a>, the experimental groups (G2 and G3 with low FBS content) exhibit a high fusion index of 55.6% and 58.8%, respectively, while the control group (G1 with high FBS content) exhibits a low fusion index of 21.9% (Fig. <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-023-00191-5#Fig1">1f</a>). Thus, it is confirmed that cells cultured in G2 and G3 were more differentiated. Moreover, the results of the BCA assay (Figure S<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-023-00191-5#MOESM1">2a</a>) demonstrate that the samples exhibiting high differentiation also exhibit high protein contents. When a myoblast differentiates, proteins such as MyoD, myogenin, troponin T, and MHC are expressed, so that a higher differentiation rate leads to a higher protein content<sup><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-023-00191-5#ref-CR13">13</a></sup>. It is known that serum stimulates the proliferation of myogenic cells, while the withdrawal of serum stimulates differentiation<sup><a href="#ref-CR13">13</a>,<a href="#ref-CR14">14</a>,<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-023-00191-5#ref-CR15">15</a></sup>. This means that the withdrawal of serum promotes the differentiation of myoblasts in the differentiation stage. However, these are remarkably important experimental results indicating that myoblasts cultured in low serum conditions in the proliferation stage also significantly increase the efficiency of differentiation in the differentiation stage.</p><h3>Cost-efficiency evaluation</h3><p>In general, the use of FBS in the field of cell-based meat causes the high cost of cell-based meat production. Therefore, it is important to reduce the FBS content to present high cost-efficiency<sup><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-023-00191-5#ref-CR5">5</a></sup>. The cost-efficiency of the CPM is evaluated by calculating the cost of the medium consumed when culturing the cells. When manufacturing the CPM, based on a 90-mm dish, three 8-ml portions of the GM are required, giving a sub-total of 24 ml. In addition, two 8-ml portions of DM are required, giving a separate sub-total of 16 ml. The grand total is, therefore, 40 ml of culture medium (GM + DM). The calculation results are presented for the various components of the three media in Table S<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-023-00191-5#MOESM1">1</a>.</p><p>The cost-efficiency of the CPM is calculated by dividing the protein concentration by the price of the culture medium, as summarized in Table S<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-023-00191-5#MOESM1">2</a>. The protein concentration of the CPM was evaluated via the BCA assay. The results provided in Figure S<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-023-00191-5#MOESM1">2b</a> indicate that the protein concentration is the highest in G3 (1.3 μg/μl), followed by G2 (1.0 μg/μl) and G1 (0.73 μg/μl). However, since the price of the medium increases in the order of G2 &lt; G1 &lt; G3, the cost-efficiency was calculated as 1.76 for G2, 1.00 for G1, and 0.31 for G3. As a result, given that the most important factor in cell-based meat research is price competitiveness, it is judged that G2 is the most suitable medium for CPM production because it can produce a reasonably large quantity of protein at the lowest price.</p><h3>Nutrient contents, flavor, and protein expression</h3><p>As shown in Table S<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-023-00191-5#MOESM1">3</a>, an average of 1.6 mg of CPM was obtained per 90-mm dish, and an average of 749.5 μg of protein was obtained from each CPM (G2). Thus, the results presented in Fig. <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-023-00191-5#Fig2">2a</a> demonstrate that the CPM is a potential food source with a high protein content of 48.1%, which is much higher than that of chicken breast (25.7%) and beef tenderloin (20.7%), which are generally known as high-protein foods.</p><div><figure><figcaption><b>Fig. 2: Protein content, flavor, and protein expression of the CPM and beef tissue.</b></figcaption><div><div><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-023-00191-5/figures/2"></a></div><p><b>a</b> a comparison of the protein contents (%) of the CPM (Cell powder meat; G2), chicken breast, and beef tenderloin, and <b>b</b> a heat map comparing the flavor intensity of the CPM with that of beef tenderloin. The comparative proteomic analysis of the CPM and bovine muscle tissue: <b>c</b> heat maps showing the clustering of differentially expressed proteins in terms of intensity; <b>d</b>, <b>e</b> gene ontology maps of <b>d</b>, the significantly upregulated proteins and <b>e</b> the significantly downregulated proteins in the CPM relative to the beef tissue.</p></div><p><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-023-00191-5/figures/2"><span>Full size image</span></a></p></figure></div><p>The flavor analyses were performed on CPM and powdered beef (tenderloin) samples. The results are presented as heat maps in Fig. <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-023-00191-5#Fig2">2b</a>, where the color intensity is proportional to the peak area of the compound analyzed by GC-MS and are summarized in Table S<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-023-00191-5#MOESM1">4</a>. Here, both the CPM and beef contain pentanal, which provides an almond flavor, and hexanal, which is derived from olive oil<sup><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-023-00191-5#ref-CR16">16</a>,<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-023-00191-5#ref-CR17">17</a></sup> and provides oily and fatty flavors. Meanwhile, acetic acid, which provides fruity and sour flavors, along with heptanal, which provides fatty, and nutty flavors, are each detected in the CPM, whereas 2-methylbutyl acetate, which provides a fruity flavor, and 3-methylbutanal, which provides fatty and almond flavors, are detected in the beef. These results confirm the potential use of the CPM as a food product with a similar savory flavor to that of meat when grilled.</p><p>The proteins of the CPM and bovine tissue are compared by proteome analysis. The CPM is composed of thousands of distinct protein types, with a total of 3047 proteins being measured. Among these, 1050 proteins are expressed at more than twice the intensity of bovine tissue (upregulation), while 491 proteins are expressed at less than half that of bovine tissue (downregulation). This differential expression of protein intensity is represented as a heat map in Fig. <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-023-00191-5#Fig2">2c</a>, where red indicates the upregulated protein (5.6 &gt; log<sub>2</sub>[fold change] &gt;1) expression and blue indicates the downregulated protein expression (–5.6 &lt; log<sub>2</sub>[fold change] &lt;–1) in the CPM relative to the bovine tissue.</p><p>The results of the GO analysis are presented in Fig. <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-023-00191-5#Fig2">2d, e</a>. From these results, the 10 GO terms with the smallest <i>p</i> value (&lt;0.05) are considered the most significantly enriched (upregulation; Table S<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-023-00191-5#MOESM1">5</a>, downregulation; Table S<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-023-00191-5#MOESM1">6</a>). These upregulated proteins are found to be involved in biological processes (BP) such as RNA splicing, translation, and protein folding, molecular functions (MF) such as RNA binding and protein binding, and in cellular components (CC) such as the nucleus, cytoplasm, membrane, and ribosomes (Fig. <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-023-00191-5#Fig2">2d</a>). Meanwhile, the downregulated proteins are found to be involved in BPs such as mitochondrial respiratory chain complex 1 assembly, muscle contraction, and sarcomere organization, MFs such as protein binding, and metal ion binding, and CCs such as the mitochondria, Z discs, and sarcomeres. Thus, the proteins constituting the various components of skeletal muscle fibers (mitochondria, sarcomeres, and Z discs) are upregulated in the beef tissue, as are proteins that play roles such as protein binding and muscle contraction. However, because the CPM is not organized up to the level of muscle tissue, proteins that occur at the cellular level, such as those constituting the cell nuclei, cytoplasm, and ribosomes are upregulated. Also, proteins that are known to be expressed in the myoblasts and myotubes, that function in RNA binding, protein binding, and protein folding, are upregulated<sup><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-023-00191-5#ref-CR18">18</a>,<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-023-00191-5#ref-CR19">19</a></sup>. This suggests that CPM can be manufactured from myoblasts and myotubes, but not from muscle tissue. Nevertheless, the above analysis shows that it can produce a greater amount of protein than beef muscle tissue, along with a similar flavor to that of meat; hence, it can be efficiently manufactured as a potential future food source.</p><p>Herein, cell powder meat (CPM) was proposed as a high-protein food source based on the higher differentiation rate of the C2C12 skeletal muscle cell line. It is indicated that myoblasts cultured in low serum conditions at the proliferation stage had a higher fusion index and consequently increased protein content. The CPM was shown to have high nutritional content and a similar flavor to that of meat, thereby demonstrating its potential use in various future food products. It is expected that the as-prepared CPM will become the basis for the mass production of cultured meat. Furthermore, by using fat cells, vascular cells, fibroblasts, and bone cells, CPM with various nutrients, tastes, and flavors can potentially be manufactured. In addition, CPM may be prepared by using the cells of various animals such as cattle, pigs, and chickens. Thus, the present work has demonstrated that the fabrication of CPM can be a groundbreaking strategy for the scaling up and cost reduction of cultured meat.</p></div></div><div><h2>Methods</h2><div><h3>Cell culture, proliferation, and differentiation</h3><p>The American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) mouse embryonic myoblast C2C12 cells, as precursors of skeletal muscle cells (passage 8-13) were seeded in a culture dish at a density of 2 <i>×</i> 10<sup>3</sup> cells/cm<sup>2</sup>. The control group(G1) was cultured in Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle’s Medium (DMEM, Gibco® Life Technologies, USA) and 10% (v/v) fetal bovine serum (FBS; WELGENE, Korea) as a standard growth medium (GM) with 1% penicillin/streptomycin antibiotics (PS; Gibco® Life Technologies, USA). The experimental groups (G2 and G3) were cultured in DMEM with 5% FBS (G2) or 5% FBS + 50 μg/ml C -phycocyanin (C-PC, Sigma Aldrich) (G3), each with 1% PS. All three groups were cultured at 37 °C under a humidified atmosphere containing 5% CO<sub>2</sub> and incubated for 7 days. The GM was replaced every 2 days. Upon reaching 100% confluence (i.e., after 7 days), the culture medium was replaced with a differentiation medium (DM) consisting of 5% horse serum (HS; Thermo Fisher Scientific) and 1% PS, and the cells were differentiated for 5 days. During this time, the DM was replaced every 2 days.</p><h3>Preparation of cell powder meat (CPM)</h3><p>After culturing the C2C12 myoblasts for a total of 12 days according to the procedure described in Section ‘Cell culture, proliferation and differentiation’, the DM was removed and washed with 1<i>×</i> phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) solution. The cells were then carefully detached from the dish by using a cell scraper, starting from the edge, and working inwards. The detached cell mass and non-separated cells were collected with distilled water and transferred to a 1.5-ml microtube. Then, centrifugation was performed for 2 min at 300 <i>×</i> <i>g</i> force to form a pellet, and the supernatant was removed. Finally, after pre-freezing at –20 °C for 12 h, the pellet was lyophilized for 24 h.</p><h3>Evaluation of cell proliferation</h3><p>To evaluate the cell proliferation, C2C12 cells were seeded in a 12-well plate with a density of 2 × 10<sup>3</sup> cells/cm<sup>2</sup> in each growth medium (G1, G2, G3), and cultured for 2, 4, and 7 days, with the GM being replaced every 2 days. An assay was performed using a Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8, D-Plus CCK cell viability assay kit, Dongin LS, Korea) in accordance with the manufacturer’s protocol.</p><h3>Immunofluorescent staining</h3><p>The C2C12 cells were cultured in DM for 5 days, then washed twice with 1<i>×</i> PBS, fixed in formaldehyde solution (Sigma Aldrich) at room temperature for 15 min, and washed two more times with PBS. To prevent non-specific protein binding, the cells were incubated overnight in a blocking solution consisting of 2% (v/v) bovine serum albumin (BSA), 0.3% (v/v) Triton X-100, and 10% (v/v) horse serum in PBS at 4 °C. Thereafter, the cells were incubated at room temperature for 2 h in myosin heavy chain (MyHC) antibody MF20 that was diluted 100 times in 2% (v/v) BSA and 10% (v/v) HS solution in 1<i>×</i> PBS. Then, after washing once with PBS and once with 0.025% (v/v) triton X-100, the secondary antibody, Alexa Flour 594-conjugated Donkey anti-Mouse IgG, was diluted 400 times with the same diluent as above and treated at room temperature for 30 min. After washing once with PBS and once with 0.025% Triton X-100, the fluorescent stain 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) was diluted 250 times with 1% (v/v) BSA solution, and the cell sample was stained for 30 min.</p><h3>Fusion assays</h3><p>The cells that were prepared as described in Section ‘Immunofluorescent staining’ were imaged via confocal microscopy (CLSM; LSM 880, Carl Zeiss) using a <i>×</i>10 objective in order to analyze the formation of myotubes by the myoblasts. The cell nuclei were stained blue by the DAPI, and the myotube cells were stained red due to the presence of MyHC and Alexa Flour 594. Hence, the total number of cells in the 850.19 μm <i>×</i> 850.19 μm image was indicated by the number of DAPI-stained nuclei, and the number of cells in the myotube was indicated by the number of nuclei in the MyHC-stained area. At least three random fields were captured for each sample, and the average value was used to calculate the fusion index as the number of nuclei in the myotube with two or more nuclei divided by the total number of nuclei, as given by Eq. (<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-023-00191-5#Equ1">1</a>):</p><div><p><span>$$Fusion\;index = \frac{{The\;number\;of\;nuclei\;in\;myotube( \ge 2\;myonuclei)}}{{The\;total\;number\;of\;nuclei}}X\;100$$</span></p><p>
                    (1)
                </p></div><h3>Evaluation of protein content</h3><p>Before powdering the sample, the detached C2C12 cells were lysed at 4 °C in radioimmunoprecipitation assay (RIPA) lysis buffer (Thermo Fisher Scientific) for 30 min and centrifuged at 10,000 <i>×</i> <i>g</i> for 10 min to extract the protein from the supernatant. The powdered sample, chicken breast, and beef tenderloin were also lysed in RIPA lysis buffer to extract the protein. The extracted protein was quantified with a bicinchoninic acid assay (BCA) kit (Thermo Fisher Scientific).</p><h3>Flavor analysis</h3><p>To evaluate the potential of the CPM as a food product, samples of the CPM and lyophilized beef (tenderloin) were each grilled on a hot-plate with a little oil at 120 °C for 15 min. The flavor analysis was then performed via the headspace-solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) method of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS, Agilent 8890 GC system-Agilent 5677B MSD, Agilent Technologies). The analytes were separated on a HP-5ms column (30 m <i>×</i> 250 μm <i>×</i> 0.25 μm). The temperature of the oven was initially maintained at 40 °C for 5 min then raised to 160 °C at a rate of 4 °C/min, then increased to 250 °C at a rate of 7 °C/min, and maintained for 10 min. The mass spectra (MS) were acquired in normal scanning mode with a source temperature of 230 °C. The volatile compounds were identified by comparison with the data from the spectral library (Agilent Chemstation Integrator). The flavors were referenced from the Flavor Extract Manufacturers Association of the United States (FEMA) and the joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) lists.</p><h3>Proteome analysis</h3><p>Protein samples of CPM and bovine tissue were prepared as described in Section ‘Evaluation of protein content’. Samples were digested in an S-Trap mini spin column (Protifi, USA) and samples were homogenized by 5% SDS in 50 mM TEAB. The samples were heated and alkylated with iodoacetamide at a final concentration of 20 mM. The alkylated proteins were acidified by phosphoric acid, then the protein solution was centrifuged at 4000 <i>×</i> <i>g</i> for 30 s and washed by a (9 :1, methanol: 50 mM TEAB) solution. The proteins were digested with trypsin gold (Promega) at a 10 (protein) :1 (enzyme) ratio (w/w) and eluted by elution buffers. To compare the proteins of the CPM and bovine tissue, each peptide sample was analyzed using an LC-MS/MS at Korea Basic Science Institute (KBSI). Only proteins that differed more than twice in the intensity of protein expression from CPM and bovine tissue were analyzed, and Gene Ontology (GO) data were obtained using DAVID Bioinformatics Resources (<a href="https://david.ncifcrf.gov/home.jsp">https://david.ncifcrf.gov/home.jsp</a>). GO terms with p-values of &lt; 0.05 were analyzed as significant.</p><h3>Statistical analyses</h3><p>A two-sample <i>t</i> test was conducted to determine the statistical validity of the experimental data. Significant differences in mean values between groups were evaluated by statistical analysis, and <i>p</i> values of *<i>p</i> &lt; 0.05 and **<i>p</i> &lt; 0.01 were considered significant.</p><h3>Reporting summary</h3><p>Further information on research design is available in the <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-023-00191-5#MOESM2">Nature Research Reporting Summary</a> linked to this article.</p></div></div>
                </div><div>
                <div><h2>Data availability</h2><p>The authors declare that the data supporting the findings of this study are available within the paper and supplementary information files. The data also can be available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.</p></div><div><h2>References</h2><div><ol><li><p>Ng, S. &amp; Kurisawa, M. Integrating biomaterials and food biopolymers for cultured meat production. <i>Acta Biomater.</i> <b>124</b>, 108–129 (2021).</p><p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.actbio.2021.01.017">Article</a> 
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              <p><a href="https://s100.copyright.com/AppDispatchServlet?title=High%20protein-containing%20new%20food%20by%20cell%20powder%20meat&amp;author=Bumgyu%20Choi%20et%20al&amp;contentID=10.1038%2Fs41538-023-00191-5&amp;copyright=The%20Author%28s%29&amp;publication=2396-8370&amp;publicationDate=2023-04-11&amp;publisherName=SpringerNature&amp;orderBeanReset=true&amp;oa=CC%20BY">Reprints and permissions</a></p></div></div><div><h2>About this article</h2><div><p><a href="https://crossmark.crossref.org/dialog/?doi=10.1038/s41538-023-00191-5"></a></p><div><h3>Cite this article</h3><p>Choi, B., Park, S., Lee, M. <i>et al.</i> High protein-containing new food by cell powder meat.
                    <i>npj Sci Food</i> <b>7</b>, 13 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41538-023-00191-5</p><p><a href="https://citation-needed.springer.com/v2/references/10.1038/s41538-023-00191-5?format=refman&amp;flavour=citation">Download citation</a></p><ul><li><p>Received<span>: </span><span><time>19 October 2022</time></span></p></li><li><p>Accepted<span>: </span><span><time>20 March 2023</time></span></p></li><li><p>Published<span>: </span><span><time>11 April 2023</time></span></p></li><li><p><abbr>DOI</abbr><span>: </span><span>https://doi.org/10.1038/s41538-023-00191-5</span></p></li></ul></div></div></div>
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        High protein-containing new food by cell powder meat
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      * Published: 11 April 2023

    High protein-containing new food by cell powder meat

      * Bumgyu Choi1,
      * Sohyeon Park1,
      * Milae Lee1,
      * Sungwon Jung1,
      * Hyun Lee2,
      * Geul Bang3,
      * Jiyu Kim1,
      * Heeyoun Hwang3,
      * Ki Hyun Yoo4,
      * Dongoh Han4,
      * Seung Tae Lee2,5,
      * Won-Gun Koh1 &
      * …
      * Jinkee Hong ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-3243-85361
    Show authors

    npj Science of Food volume 7, Article number: 13 ( 2023 ) Cite this article

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        * Biomaterials – cells
        * Biomaterials – proteins

      Abstract

        Demand for a new protein source to replace meat is increasing to solve various issues such as limited resources and food shortages. Diverse protein sources are being developed, but alternative proteins such as plants or insects need to improve people’s perceptions and organoleptic properties. Therefore, cell-based meat research is intensively conducted, and most studies are aimed at scale-up and cost-down via the research of scaffolds and culture media. Here, we proposed a new food by cell powder meat (CPM), which has a high protein content and a meaty flavor. The powder was manufactured 76% more cost-effectively with less serum than the conventional culture medium and without 3D scaffold. Due to its comprehensive characteristics, the potential applicability of CPM in the cell-based meat industry could be expected.

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        Introduction

          With the increasing seriousness of global population growth, environmental problems, and limited resources, new approaches are being developed to replace traditional meat in order to address the environmental, and animal welfare issues associated with traditional livestock farming1. Hence, there has been increasing interest in meat substitutes as future food, and various protein sources ranging from plant-based meat alternatives to proteins extracted from microorganisms, microalgae, and insects are being developed. In particular, numerous studies are being conducted on cell-based meat (cultured or cultivated meat) as a sustainable food2,3.

          Cell-based meat is generally produced by extracting cells from livestock, proliferating them in large quantities, allowing them to differentiate on scaffolds, and processing them to make final products. The most important factor in the commercialization of cell-based meat is the scaling up of production4,5,6. Among these aspects, the scaffold is essential for the mass production of cell-based meat as well as forming a part of the food product itself7,8. However, unlike the scaffolds used for tissue engineering, only food-grade materials should be used when developing a scaffold for cell-based meat and the production cost needs to be low. In addition, the requirement to obtain food-grade approval from food institutions such as the FDA remains a major obstacle to the commercialization of cell-based meat9. Therefore, recently, research using cell sheet technology that does not use a 3D scaffold has been presented4,7,10.

          Using food powder as an example, the present study focuses on the manufacture of cell-based meat without the use of a scaffold, thereby providing high commercialization potential due to excellent price competitiveness and high utility. Food powder is used for various purposes such as flour, salt, and as a colorant, and provides a solution to the complexity of food production in daily life11. Food powder has beneficial properties such as physicochemical stability as well as being easy to preserve, transport, and process12. Despite the advantages of these food powders, alternative proteins such as plant and insect-based powders have limitations in that consumers’ recognition and sensory characteristics need to be improved, so an enhanced form of alternative protein is required2. Thus, the fabrication of cell powder meat (CPM) with a suitable meat flavor and high protein content for use as a meat substitute is described herein as shown in Fig. 1a. Moreover, this high-protein CPM is manufactured using fewer serum-media than traditional culture media, thereby reducing the price. In addition, the as-fabricated CPM presents possibilities in the cell-based meat market due to its high utility and relative ease of manufacture compared to the existing method of using a scaffold. Hence, this process is expected to serve as a cornerstone for making various types of cell-based meat products, ranging from seasonings such as beef powder to cell-based meat that can be kneaded like flour.

            Fig. 1: A schematic illustration showing the manufacturing process of cell powder meat (CPM) and cell culture, proliferation, and differentiation in G1, G2, and G3.

                a The manufacturing process of cell powder meat (CPM), the effect of each medium, and the advantages of CPM. Schematic diagrams showing b, the conditions (growth media; GM, differentiation media; DM) and process of cell culture and c, the anticipated results; d, the quantification of cell proliferation via the cck-8 assay; e confocal images of the cultured C2C12 cells stained with DAPI (blue) and MyHC (red) (scale bar: 100 μm); f, the fusion index of the cultured cells. In parts d, f the data are presented as the mean ± standard deviation (n = 3); for the t test, * indicates p < 0.05, and ** indicates p < 0.01, statistically non-significance (n.s). All experiments were conducted independently.

              Full size image

        Results and discussions

          C2C12 cell proliferation and differentiation in various media

          The C2C12 culture process is shown schematically in Fig. 1b. The control group is G1: FBS 10% and experimental groups are G2: FBS 5%, G3: FBS 5% + C-PC (C-phycocyanin). C-pc is known to be used as a substance that can replace FBS by helping myoblast proliferation7. The anticipated results of this procedure are shown schematically in Fig. 1c, and the results of cell proliferation are presented for each group in Fig. 1d. Here, the cells are seen to proliferate most rapidly in G1, which had a high FBS content, during the first 4 days, and perhaps also during the 7-day period, although the difference is not statistically significant. Thus, the degree of cell proliferation before replacing the media with DM is similar in all three groups. In other words, there is no significant difference in the number of cells cultured in G1, G2, and G3, although the number of cells cultured in G1 was slightly higher on average.

          The results of further culture in DM for 5 days are revealed by the confocal images of the stained samples in Fig. 1e and Figure S1, where the expression of MyHC verifies the differentiation of the C2C12 myoblasts into myotubes. In contrast to the proliferation behavior indicated in Fig. 1d, the experimental groups (G2 and G3 with low FBS content) exhibit a high fusion index of 55.6% and 58.8%, respectively, while the control group (G1 with high FBS content) exhibits a low fusion index of 21.9% (Fig. 1f). Thus, it is confirmed that cells cultured in G2 and G3 were more differentiated. Moreover, the results of the BCA assay (Figure S2a) demonstrate that the samples exhibiting high differentiation also exhibit high protein contents. When a myoblast differentiates, proteins such as MyoD, myogenin, troponin T, and MHC are expressed, so that a higher differentiation rate leads to a higher protein content13. It is known that serum stimulates the proliferation of myogenic cells, while the withdrawal of serum stimulates differentiation13,14,15. This means that the withdrawal of serum promotes the differentiation of myoblasts in the differentiation stage. However, these are remarkably important experimental results indicating that myoblasts cultured in low serum conditions in the proliferation stage also significantly increase the efficiency of differentiation in the differentiation stage.

          Cost-efficiency evaluation

          In general, the use of FBS in the field of cell-based meat causes the high cost of cell-based meat production. Therefore, it is important to reduce the FBS content to present high cost-efficiency5. The cost-efficiency of the CPM is evaluated by calculating the cost of the medium consumed when culturing the cells. When manufacturing the CPM, based on a 90-mm dish, three 8-ml portions of the GM are required, giving a sub-total of 24 ml. In addition, two 8-ml portions of DM are required, giving a separate sub-total of 16 ml. The grand total is, therefore, 40 ml of culture medium (GM + DM). The calculation results are presented for the various components of the three media in Table S1.

          The cost-efficiency of the CPM is calculated by dividing the protein concentration by the price of the culture medium, as summarized in Table S2. The protein concentration of the CPM was evaluated via the BCA assay. The results provided in Figure S2b indicate that the protein concentration is the highest in G3 (1.3 μg/μl), followed by G2 (1.0 μg/μl) and G1 (0.73 μg/μl). However, since the price of the medium increases in the order of G2 < G1 < G3, the cost-efficiency was calculated as 1.76 for G2, 1.00 for G1, and 0.31 for G3. As a result, given that the most important factor in cell-based meat research is price competitiveness, it is judged that G2 is the most suitable medium for CPM production because it can produce a reasonably large quantity of protein at the lowest price.

          Nutrient contents, flavor, and protein expression

          As shown in Table S3, an average of 1.6 mg of CPM was obtained per 90-mm dish, and an average of 749.5 μg of protein was obtained from each CPM (G2). Thus, the results presented in Fig. 2a demonstrate that the CPM is a potential food source with a high protein content of 48.1%, which is much higher than that of chicken breast (25.7%) and beef tenderloin (20.7%), which are generally known as high-protein foods.

            Fig. 2: Protein content, flavor, and protein expression of the CPM and beef tissue.

                a a comparison of the protein contents (%) of the CPM (Cell powder meat; G2), chicken breast, and beef tenderloin, and b a heat map comparing the flavor intensity of the CPM with that of beef tenderloin. The comparative proteomic analysis of the CPM and bovine muscle tissue: c heat maps showing the clustering of differentially expressed proteins in terms of intensity; d, e gene ontology maps of d, the significantly upregulated proteins and e the significantly downregulated proteins in the CPM relative to the beef tissue.

              Full size image

          The flavor analyses were performed on CPM and powdered beef (tenderloin) samples. The results are presented as heat maps in Fig. 2b, where the color intensity is proportional to the peak area of the compound analyzed by GC-MS and are summarized in Table S4. Here, both the CPM and beef contain pentanal, which provides an almond flavor, and hexanal, which is derived from olive oil16,17 and provides oily and fatty flavors. Meanwhile, acetic acid, which provides fruity and sour flavors, along with heptanal, which provides fatty, and nutty flavors, are each detected in the CPM, whereas 2-methylbutyl acetate, which provides a fruity flavor, and 3-methylbutanal, which provides fatty and almond flavors, are detected in the beef. These results confirm the potential use of the CPM as a food product with a similar savory flavor to that of meat when grilled.

          The proteins of the CPM and bovine tissue are compared by proteome analysis. The CPM is composed of thousands of distinct protein types, with a total of 3047 proteins being measured. Among these, 1050 proteins are expressed at more than twice the intensity of bovine tissue (upregulation), while 491 proteins are expressed at less than half that of bovine tissue (downregulation). This differential expression of protein intensity is represented as a heat map in Fig. 2c, where red indicates the upregulated protein (5.6 > log2[fold change] >1) expression and blue indicates the downregulated protein expression (–5.6 < log2[fold change] <–1) in the CPM relative to the bovine tissue.

          The results of the GO analysis are presented in Fig. 2d, e. From these results, the 10 GO terms with the smallest p value (<0.05) are considered the most significantly enriched (upregulation; Table S5, downregulation; Table S6). These upregulated proteins are found to be involved in biological processes (BP) such as RNA splicing, translation, and protein folding, molecular functions (MF) such as RNA binding and protein binding, and in cellular components (CC) such as the nucleus, cytoplasm, membrane, and ribosomes (Fig. 2d). Meanwhile, the downregulated proteins are found to be involved in BPs such as mitochondrial respiratory chain complex 1 assembly, muscle contraction, and sarcomere organization, MFs such as protein binding, and metal ion binding, and CCs such as the mitochondria, Z discs, and sarcomeres. Thus, the proteins constituting the various components of skeletal muscle fibers (mitochondria, sarcomeres, and Z discs) are upregulated in the beef tissue, as are proteins that play roles such as protein binding and muscle contraction. However, because the CPM is not organized up to the level of muscle tissue, proteins that occur at the cellular level, such as those constituting the cell nuclei, cytoplasm, and ribosomes are upregulated. Also, proteins that are known to be expressed in the myoblasts and myotubes, that function in RNA binding, protein binding, and protein folding, are upregulated18,19. This suggests that CPM can be manufactured from myoblasts and myotubes, but not from muscle tissue. Nevertheless, the above analysis shows that it can produce a greater amount of protein than beef muscle tissue, along with a similar flavor to that of meat; hence, it can be efficiently manufactured as a potential future food source.

          Herein, cell powder meat (CPM) was proposed as a high-protein food source based on the higher differentiation rate of the C2C12 skeletal muscle cell line. It is indicated that myoblasts cultured in low serum conditions at the proliferation stage had a higher fusion index and consequently increased protein content. The CPM was shown to have high nutritional content and a similar flavor to that of meat, thereby demonstrating its potential use in various future food products. It is expected that the as-prepared CPM will become the basis for the mass production of cultured meat. Furthermore, by using fat cells, vascular cells, fibroblasts, and bone cells, CPM with various nutrients, tastes, and flavors can potentially be manufactured. In addition, CPM may be prepared by using the cells of various animals such as cattle, pigs, and chickens. Thus, the present work has demonstrated that the fabrication of CPM can be a groundbreaking strategy for the scaling up and cost reduction of cultured meat.

        Methods

          Cell culture, proliferation, and differentiation

          The American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) mouse embryonic myoblast C2C12 cells, as precursors of skeletal muscle cells (passage 8-13) were seeded in a culture dish at a density of 2 × 103 cells/cm2. The control group(G1) was cultured in Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle’s Medium (DMEM, Gibco® Life Technologies, USA) and 10% (v/v) fetal bovine serum (FBS; WELGENE, Korea) as a standard growth medium (GM) with 1% penicillin/streptomycin antibiotics (PS; Gibco® Life Technologies, USA). The experimental groups (G2 and G3) were cultured in DMEM with 5% FBS (G2) or 5% FBS + 50 μg/ml C -phycocyanin (C-PC, Sigma Aldrich) (G3), each with 1% PS. All three groups were cultured at 37 °C under a humidified atmosphere containing 5% CO2 and incubated for 7 days. The GM was replaced every 2 days. Upon reaching 100% confluence (i.e., after 7 days), the culture medium was replaced with a differentiation medium (DM) consisting of 5% horse serum (HS; Thermo Fisher Scientific) and 1% PS, and the cells were differentiated for 5 days. During this time, the DM was replaced every 2 days.

          Preparation of cell powder meat (CPM)

          After culturing the C2C12 myoblasts for a total of 12 days according to the procedure described in Section ‘Cell culture, proliferation and differentiation’, the DM was removed and washed with 1× phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) solution. The cells were then carefully detached from the dish by using a cell scraper, starting from the edge, and working inwards. The detached cell mass and non-separated cells were collected with distilled water and transferred to a 1.5-ml microtube. Then, centrifugation was performed for 2 min at 300 × g force to form a pellet, and the supernatant was removed. Finally, after pre-freezing at –20 °C for 12 h, the pellet was lyophilized for 24 h.

          Evaluation of cell proliferation

          To evaluate the cell proliferation, C2C12 cells were seeded in a 12-well plate with a density of 2 × 103 cells/cm2 in each growth medium (G1, G2, G3), and cultured for 2, 4, and 7 days, with the GM being replaced every 2 days. An assay was performed using a Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8, D-Plus CCK cell viability assay kit, Dongin LS, Korea) in accordance with the manufacturer’s protocol.

          Immunofluorescent staining

          The C2C12 cells were cultured in DM for 5 days, then washed twice with 1× PBS, fixed in formaldehyde solution (Sigma Aldrich) at room temperature for 15 min, and washed two more times with PBS. To prevent non-specific protein binding, the cells were incubated overnight in a blocking solution consisting of 2% (v/v) bovine serum albumin (BSA), 0.3% (v/v) Triton X-100, and 10% (v/v) horse serum in PBS at 4 °C. Thereafter, the cells were incubated at room temperature for 2 h in myosin heavy chain (MyHC) antibody MF20 that was diluted 100 times in 2% (v/v) BSA and 10% (v/v) HS solution in 1× PBS. Then, after washing once with PBS and once with 0.025% (v/v) triton X-100, the secondary antibody, Alexa Flour 594-conjugated Donkey anti-Mouse IgG, was diluted 400 times with the same diluent as above and treated at room temperature for 30 min. After washing once with PBS and once with 0.025% Triton X-100, the fluorescent stain 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) was diluted 250 times with 1% (v/v) BSA solution, and the cell sample was stained for 30 min.

          Fusion assays

          The cells that were prepared as described in Section ‘Immunofluorescent staining’ were imaged via confocal microscopy (CLSM; LSM 880, Carl Zeiss) using a ×10 objective in order to analyze the formation of myotubes by the myoblasts. The cell nuclei were stained blue by the DAPI, and the myotube cells were stained red due to the presence of MyHC and Alexa Flour 594. Hence, the total number of cells in the 850.19 μm × 850.19 μm image was indicated by the number of DAPI-stained nuclei, and the number of cells in the myotube was indicated by the number of nuclei in the MyHC-stained area. At least three random fields were captured for each sample, and the average value was used to calculate the fusion index as the number of nuclei in the myotube with two or more nuclei divided by the total number of nuclei, as given by Eq. (1):

              $$Fusion\;index = \frac{{The\;number\;of\;nuclei\;in\;myotube( \ge 2\;myonuclei)}}{{The\;total\;number\;of\;nuclei}}X\;100$$
              (1)

          Evaluation of protein content

          Before powdering the sample, the detached C2C12 cells were lysed at 4 °C in radioimmunoprecipitation assay (RIPA) lysis buffer (Thermo Fisher Scientific) for 30 min and centrifuged at 10,000 × g for 10 min to extract the protein from the supernatant. The powdered sample, chicken breast, and beef tenderloin were also lysed in RIPA lysis buffer to extract the protein. The extracted protein was quantified with a bicinchoninic acid assay (BCA) kit (Thermo Fisher Scientific).

          Flavor analysis

          To evaluate the potential of the CPM as a food product, samples of the CPM and lyophilized beef (tenderloin) were each grilled on a hot-plate with a little oil at 120 °C for 15 min. The flavor analysis was then performed via the headspace-solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) method of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS, Agilent 8890 GC system-Agilent 5677B MSD, Agilent Technologies). The analytes were separated on a HP-5ms column (30 m × 250 μm × 0.25 μm). The temperature of the oven was initially maintained at 40 °C for 5 min then raised to 160 °C at a rate of 4 °C/min, then increased to 250 °C at a rate of 7 °C/min, and maintained for 10 min. The mass spectra (MS) were acquired in normal scanning mode with a source temperature of 230 °C. The volatile compounds were identified by comparison with the data from the spectral library (Agilent Chemstation Integrator). The flavors were referenced from the Flavor Extract Manufacturers Association of the United States (FEMA) and the joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) lists.

          Proteome analysis

          Protein samples of CPM and bovine tissue were prepared as described in Section ‘Evaluation of protein content’. Samples were digested in an S-Trap mini spin column (Protifi, USA) and samples were homogenized by 5% SDS in 50 mM TEAB. The samples were heated and alkylated with iodoacetamide at a final concentration of 20 mM. The alkylated proteins were acidified by phosphoric acid, then the protein solution was centrifuged at 4000 × g for 30 s and washed by a (9 :1, methanol: 50 mM TEAB) solution. The proteins were digested with trypsin gold (Promega) at a 10 (protein) :1 (enzyme) ratio (w/w) and eluted by elution buffers. To compare the proteins of the CPM and bovine tissue, each peptide sample was analyzed using an LC-MS/MS at Korea Basic Science Institute (KBSI). Only proteins that differed more than twice in the intensity of protein expression from CPM and bovine tissue were analyzed, and Gene Ontology (GO) data were obtained using DAVID Bioinformatics Resources (https://david.ncifcrf.gov/home.jsp). GO terms with p-values of < 0.05 were analyzed as significant.

          Statistical analyses

          A two-sample t test was conducted to determine the statistical validity of the experimental data. Significant differences in mean values between groups were evaluated by statistical analysis, and p values of *p < 0.05 and **p < 0.01 were considered significant.

          Reporting summary

          Further information on research design is available in the Nature Research Reporting Summary linked to this article.

        Data availability

          The authors declare that the data supporting the findings of this study are available within the paper and supplementary information files. The data also can be available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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        Acknowledgements

          This research was supported by the Bio & Medical Technology Development Program of the National Research Foundation (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Science & ICT (2019M3A9H1103786). Additionally, This work was supported by the Technology Innovation Program (Alchemist Project, 20012384) funded By the Ministry of Trade, Industry & Energy (MOTIE, Korea).

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           1. Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, College of Engineering, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea

              Bumgyu Choi, Sohyeon Park, Milae Lee, Sungwon Jung, Jiyu Kim, Won-Gun Koh & Jinkee Hong

           2. Department of Animal Life Science, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, 24341, Republic of Korea

              Hyun Lee & Seung Tae Lee

           3. Research Center for Bioconvergence Analysis, Korea Basic Science Institute, Daejeon, 28119, Republic of Korea

              Geul Bang & Heeyoun Hwang

           4. SIMPLE Planet Inc., 48 Achasan-ro 17-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, 04799, Republic of Korea

              Ki Hyun Yoo & Dongoh Han

           5. Department of Applied Animal Science, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, 24341, Republic of Korea

              Seung Tae Lee

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          B.C: conceptualization, methodology, writing—original draft. S.P. and M.L.: investigation, data curation. S.J.: validation. H.L.: methodology, validation. G.B., J.K., H.H.: methodology, K.H.Y., Dongoh Han: resources, validation. S.T.L.: resources, methodology. W.G.K.: resources, validation. J.H.: conceptualization, supervision, writing—review & editing.

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              Choi, B., Park, S., Lee, M. et al. High protein-containing new food by cell powder meat. npj Sci Food 7, 13 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41538-023-00191-5

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                * Received : 19 October 2022

                * Accepted : 20 March 2023

                * Published : 11 April 2023

                * DOI : https://doi.org/10.1038/s41538-023-00191-5

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          * Decellularised plant scaffolds facilitate porcine skeletal muscle tissue engineering for cultivated meat biomanufacturing

              + Priyatharshini Murugan
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High protein-containing new food by cell powder meat
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-023-00191-5?error=cookies_not_supported&code=2a9fac4b-1b59-4cf9-80c4-8e18446adcf1
By Ali Rosen
2021-03-05T17:42:00Z
<div><div><p>Step aside, <a href="https://www.today.com/food/we-tried-baked-feta-pasta-dish-s-viral-tiktok-today-t206835">baked feta pasta</a>: There is a new trend in TikTok town, and it's … flour and water?</p><p>On Feb. 19, TikTok user <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@futurelettuce?">@FutureLettuce</a> <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@futurelettuce/video/6931144450911636741">posted a video</a> of what he called his "2-ingredient chicken replacement," and it has since exploded online. In just a few steps of creating a dough and then washing the starch out of flour, the video showcases a dish that pulls apart and looks surprisingly like, well, chicken. But for the <a href="https://www.today.com/food/black-vegan-why-so-many-black-americans-are-embracing-plant-t209743">dedicated vegans</a> among us, this method isn't anything new. It’s simply a version of the dish most commonly known as seitan, a form of wheat gluten that has been documented all the way back to 6th century China.</p><p>FutureLettuce (as he prefers to be known) was well aware he wasn’t inventing a new concept when he made his video, but he didn’t include the wider reference because, “I never thought it would be seen by anyone," he told <a href="https://www.today.com/food">TODAY Food</a>. But with almost 10 million views, there is something about the simple act of turning flour into a wheat meat that has resonated. As he posited, “I think the video got attention because most people weren’t expecting the end result. Watching someone squeeze a dough ball for a minute is not the most appealing thing, but seeing it shred like chicken is in direct contrast, at least for most viewers.”</p><p>For plant-based chefs, the moment of virality is a unique opportunity to speak to more people about meat alternatives.</p><p>“I’m tired of speaking into an echo chamber of plant-based people,” <a href="https://www.instagram.com/chefpriyanka/">Priyanka Naik</a>, vegan chef and author of the upcoming "<a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Modern-Tiffin/Priyanka-Naik/9781982177089">The Modern Tiffin</a>," told TODAY, “They are already on my side. We need to talk to people who might not know as much about it. I think this is a great way to start a conversation.”</p><h2>What is seitan?</h2><p>Seitan has been around commercially for years, but it often has been overshadowed by more popular meat-alternatives that are soy-based, like tofu. Its simplicity is its strength and part of the reason why it has been a staple in vegetarian diets for centuries. It is derived from wheat gluten, which is the main protein in wheat. When you wash out all of the starch from flour, you are left with just the gluten, which has a chewy, fibrous texture often compared to meat.</p><figure><figcaption><span>You can use seitan as you would any piece of chicken — add it to tacos, stir-fries, casseroles, pasta and more.</span><span>Ali Rosen</span></figcaption></figure><p>Seitan is also a protein powerhouse: a quarter cup can have over 20 grams of protein. And because the starch has been washed out, it is very low in carbohydrates and is naturally low in fat. The other major advantage of seitan’s simplicity is that it is a chameleon when it comes to flavor. With only two fairly tasteless ingredients as a base, you can make use of seitan with any kind of condiment you'd normally used on chicken, like <a href="https://www.today.com/food/america-s-most-popular-bbq-sauces-explained-t147234">barbecue sauce</a>, teriyaki sauce or <a href="https://www.today.com/food/story-about-grandmother-s-10-year-old-gochujang-goes-viral-t203959">gochujang</a>, and have the texture and protein of a meat — without the actual meat.</p><p>It is also getting plaudits for its low cost. FutureLettuce is hoping that the intimate nature of TikTok can take away some of the artifice and wealthy glow that often surrounds the vegan lifestyle: “It is often seen as an overly-expensive diet for upper-class white people, which totally ignores the non-white roots of pretty much all vegan foods and also the majority of vegans who are working class," he said.</p><p>Naik also views the expensive reputation of veganism as a frequent stumbling block, and the rise of seitan could be a gateway into changing that narrative: “What I strive to do as a vegan chef is show people that you can literally walk into any grocery store and not have to buy any fancy stuff to live a plant-based life," she said.</p><h2>Can everyone eat seitan?</h2><p>But for all of its positives, there are some health factors to consider with seitan: It isn’t a complete protein because it is missing the essential amino acid lysine, which is found in most natural proteins, like meat, cheese and beans. And because of its high gluten content, it is not a viable alternative for those with <a href="https://www.today.com/health/living-gluten-free-why-celiac-disease-such-frustrating-diagnosis-t130099">celiac disease</a> or a <a href="https://www.today.com/health/what-gluten-free-diet-here-s-everything-you-need-know-t202154">gluten sensitivity</a>.</p><p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/yoliouiya">Yoli Ouiya</a>, co-founder of the <a href="https://foodwellnessequity.com/">Food and Wellness Equity Collective</a>, said that anyone who even suspects gluten intolerance should be careful. While seitan can be a good crutch for an occasional meal, it isn’t a full replacement.</p><div><a href="https://www.today.com/recipes/easy-seitan-recipe-t210853"></a><p>Ali Rosen</p></div><p>“I know we’re looking to reduce our meat consumption, but you should really be increasing your consumption of vegetables. It shouldn’t all be fake meat,” Ouiya told TODAY. “Seitan is a binding food. If it has that level of elasticity and goopiness in your hands, imagine how it will go through your body. Yes there are some nutrients in the flour but subsequently think about if you’re eating this every day. It's still processed.”</p><p>So, what if we want to include seitan in our <a href="https://www.today.com/health/interested-plant-based-diet-here-s-what-you-need-know-t199909">balanced diets</a> and give <a href="https://www.today.com/food/what-plant-based-meat-here-are-our-top-10-product-t160303">plant-based meat</a> a try? You can certainly purchase seitan if you aren’t looking to spend your time washing flour, and most of the ingredients will be as simple as the homemade version. But if you want to give the <a href="https://www.today.com/recipes/easy-seitan-recipe-t210853">recipe</a> a whirl yourself, it truly is as easy as washing and waiting with the two-ingredient wonder that is seitan.</p><h2>How do you make seitan?</h2><figure><figcaption><span>Put the dough in a bowl of cool water for at least an hour to allow the gluten to form.</span><span>Ali Rosen</span></figcaption></figure><p>First, combine 3 cups of all-purpose flour and 1 cup of water in a bowl (it is always a 1:3 ratio, so scale up or down depending on how much seitan you want to make). Knead the mixture until it comes together in a ball. Put the dough in a bowl of cool water for at least an hour (but no longer than 6 hours) to allow the gluten to form.</p><figure><figcaption><span>You'll know the dough is ready when it looks and feels stringy — kind of like meat.</span><span>Ali Rosen</span></figcaption></figure><p>Then it's time to rinse the starch away. Knead the dough under the water and every time it gets very cloudy, dump it out and add new water; use a colander here to ensure you don't lose any dough. The dough is ready when the water is almost clear, and the dough looks stringy. Let it rest in the colander for 30 minutes to an hour.</p><figure><figcaption><span>Spice up your dough with whichever flavors you like.</span><span>Ali Rosen</span></figcaption></figure><p>Add in whatever flavoring you want: Spices, seasonings and other ingredients can all be incorporated at this stage. Stretch and knot the dough to help shape it. Allow the seitan to rest for at least 20 more minutes (or you can keep it in this stage for up to a day, if you'd like).</p><figure><figcaption><span>Cook the seitan on each side until it browns.</span><span>Ali Rosen</span></figcaption></figure><p>When you are ready to cook, place a deep pan on medium high heat with a bit of oil. Cook the seitan for approximately 5 minutes on each side, or until it browns. Then add water or broth to cover and let it cook covered on a low simmer for approximately 2 hours (whatever liquid you cook it in will impart its flavor into the seitan, so use more or less flavoring as you'd like).</p><figure><figcaption><span>Just like meat, you should let it rest after it cooks. Then, you can shred away.</span><span>Ali Rosen</span></figcaption></figure><p>When the seitan is done cooking, you can eat it, but it is best to let it rest in the refrigerator in the liquid for at least 8 hours to fully firm up. Use the seitan as you would any piece of chicken — add it to tacos, stir-fries, casseroles, pasta and whatever else your heart desires.</p></div><div><p><span></span><span><a href="https://www.today.com/author/ali-rosen-tdpn131280">Ali Rosen</a></span><span></span></p><p>Ali Rosen is the Emmy and James Beard Award-nominated host of "Potluck with Ali Rosen" on NYC Life. She is the author of the cookbook "Bring It!" and the upcoming "Modern Freezer Meals." She has been featured on TODAY, Dr. Oz and NPR's All Things Considered and has written for publications including The Washington Post, Bon Appetit and New York Magazine. She is originally from Charleston, South Carolina but now lives in New York City.</p></div></div>||||I||||      IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.
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            Trends

            Seitan is trending right now. What is the 2-ingredient meat alternative?

              The meat alternative is taking over TikTok right now, but it's actually centuries old.

          What is this so-called "2-ingredient chicken replacement"? Ali Rosen
                  March 5, 2021, 5:42 PM UTC
                  By Ali Rosen

                  Step aside, baked feta pasta: There is a new trend in TikTok town, and it's … flour and water?

                  On Feb. 19, TikTok user @FutureLettuce posted a video of what he called his "2-ingredient chicken replacement," and it has since exploded online. In just a few steps of creating a dough and then washing the starch out of flour, the video showcases a dish that pulls apart and looks surprisingly like, well, chicken. But for the dedicated vegans among us, this method isn't anything new. It’s simply a version of the dish most commonly known as seitan, a form of wheat gluten that has been documented all the way back to 6th century China.

                    @futurelettuce

                    2-ingredient chicken replacement 🌱✨ ##washedflour ##wtfmethod ##veganrecipes ##vegantiktok ##foodtiktok ##foryou ##fyp

                    ♬ original sound - 🗿

                  FutureLettuce (as he prefers to be known) was well aware he wasn’t inventing a new concept when he made his video, but he didn’t include the wider reference because, “I never thought it would be seen by anyone," he told TODAY Food. But with almost 10 million views, there is something about the simple act of turning flour into a wheat meat that has resonated. As he posited, “I think the video got attention because most people weren’t expecting the end result. Watching someone squeeze a dough ball for a minute is not the most appealing thing, but seeing it shred like chicken is in direct contrast, at least for most viewers.”

                    @texykitchen1

                    Trying @futurelettuce vegan chicken recipe #washedflour #vegantiktok #veganrecipes #Seitan #meatless #learnontiktok #fyp #foryou #homecook

                    ♬ original sound - Two Friends

                  For plant-based chefs, the moment of virality is a unique opportunity to speak to more people about meat alternatives.

                  “I’m tired of speaking into an echo chamber of plant-based people,” Priyanka Naik, vegan chef and author of the upcoming "The Modern Tiffin," told TODAY, “They are already on my side. We need to talk to people who might not know as much about it. I think this is a great way to start a conversation.”

                    @foodbyhailey

                    I tried @futurelettuce fake chicken recipe #washedflour #wtfmethod #vegantiktok #foodtiktok #recipe #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #seitan #recipesoftiktok

                    ♬ Summer - Instrumental - Devinney

                  What is seitan?

                  Seitan has been around commercially for years, but it often has been overshadowed by more popular meat-alternatives that are soy-based, like tofu. Its simplicity is its strength and part of the reason why it has been a staple in vegetarian diets for centuries. It is derived from wheat gluten, which is the main protein in wheat. When you wash out all of the starch from flour, you are left with just the gluten, which has a chewy, fibrous texture often compared to meat.

                  You can use seitan as you would any piece of chicken — add it to tacos, stir-fries, casseroles, pasta and more. Ali Rosen

                  Seitan is also a protein powerhouse: a quarter cup can have over 20 grams of protein. And because the starch has been washed out, it is very low in carbohydrates and is naturally low in fat. The other major advantage of seitan’s simplicity is that it is a chameleon when it comes to flavor. With only two fairly tasteless ingredients as a base, you can make use of seitan with any kind of condiment you'd normally used on chicken, like barbecue sauce, teriyaki sauce or gochujang, and have the texture and protein of a meat — without the actual meat.

                    Related

                          Food

                          Food What is jackfruit? All about the fruit that cooks and shreds like meat

                  It is also getting plaudits for its low cost. FutureLettuce is hoping that the intimate nature of TikTok can take away some of the artifice and wealthy glow that often surrounds the vegan lifestyle: “It is often seen as an overly-expensive diet for upper-class white people, which totally ignores the non-white roots of pretty much all vegan foods and also the majority of vegans who are working class," he said.

                  Naik also views the expensive reputation of veganism as a frequent stumbling block, and the rise of seitan could be a gateway into changing that narrative: “What I strive to do as a vegan chef is show people that you can literally walk into any grocery store and not have to buy any fancy stuff to live a plant-based life," she said.

                    Related

                          Food

                          Food Black and vegan: Why so many Black Americans are embracing the plant-based life

                  Can everyone eat seitan?

                  But for all of its positives, there are some health factors to consider with seitan: It isn’t a complete protein because it is missing the essential amino acid lysine, which is found in most natural proteins, like meat, cheese and beans. And because of its high gluten content, it is not a viable alternative for those with celiac disease or a gluten sensitivity.

                  Yoli Ouiya, co-founder of the Food and Wellness Equity Collective, said that anyone who even suspects gluten intolerance should be careful. While seitan can be a good crutch for an occasional meal, it isn’t a full replacement.

                          Ali Rosen

                      Get The Recipe

                      Easy Seitan

                        Ali Rosen

                  “I know we’re looking to reduce our meat consumption, but you should really be increasing your consumption of vegetables. It shouldn’t all be fake meat,” Ouiya told TODAY. “Seitan is a binding food. If it has that level of elasticity and goopiness in your hands, imagine how it will go through your body. Yes there are some nutrients in the flour but subsequently think about if you’re eating this every day. It's still processed.”

                  So, what if we want to include seitan in our balanced diets and give plant-based meat a try? You can certainly purchase seitan if you aren’t looking to spend your time washing flour, and most of the ingredients will be as simple as the homemade version. But if you want to give the recipe a whirl yourself, it truly is as easy as washing and waiting with the two-ingredient wonder that is seitan.

                  How do you make seitan?

                  Put the dough in a bowl of cool water for at least an hour to allow the gluten to form. Ali Rosen

                  First, combine 3 cups of all-purpose flour and 1 cup of water in a bowl (it is always a 1:3 ratio, so scale up or down depending on how much seitan you want to make). Knead the mixture until it comes together in a ball. Put the dough in a bowl of cool water for at least an hour (but no longer than 6 hours) to allow the gluten to form.

                  You'll know the dough is ready when it looks and feels stringy — kind of like meat. Ali Rosen

                  Then it's time to rinse the starch away. Knead the dough under the water and every time it gets very cloudy, dump it out and add new water; use a colander here to ensure you don't lose any dough. The dough is ready when the water is almost clear, and the dough looks stringy. Let it rest in the colander for 30 minutes to an hour.

                  Spice up your dough with whichever flavors you like. Ali Rosen

                  Add in whatever flavoring you want: Spices, seasonings and other ingredients can all be incorporated at this stage. Stretch and knot the dough to help shape it. Allow the seitan to rest for at least 20 more minutes (or you can keep it in this stage for up to a day, if you'd like).

                  Cook the seitan on each side until it browns. Ali Rosen

                  When you are ready to cook, place a deep pan on medium high heat with a bit of oil. Cook the seitan for approximately 5 minutes on each side, or until it browns. Then add water or broth to cover and let it cook covered on a low simmer for approximately 2 hours (whatever liquid you cook it in will impart its flavor into the seitan, so use more or less flavoring as you'd like).

                  Just like meat, you should let it rest after it cooks. Then, you can shred away. Ali Rosen

                  When the seitan is done cooking, you can eat it, but it is best to let it rest in the refrigerator in the liquid for at least 8 hours to fully firm up. Use the seitan as you would any piece of chicken — add it to tacos, stir-fries, casseroles, pasta and whatever else your heart desires.

                      Ali Rosen

                        Ali Rosen is the Emmy and James Beard Award-nominated host of "Potluck with Ali Rosen" on NYC Life. She is the author of the cookbook "Bring It!" and the upcoming "Modern Freezer Meals." She has been featured on TODAY, Dr. Oz and NPR's All Things Considered and has written for publications including The Washington Post, Bon Appetit and New York Magazine. She is originally from Charleston, South Carolina but now lives in New York City.

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Seitan is trending right now. What is the 2-ingredient meat alternative?
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