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Boston start-up company obtains FDA-approved protein to make vegan meat taste more meaty

Thanks to food technology company Motif FoodWorks, vegan meat is about to become more plump.The Boston-based company recently launched HEMAMI, a heme-binding myoglobin that has the flavor and aroma of traditional animal meat.The ingredient has recently been granted generally recognized as safe (GRAS) status by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is now available on the market.
Although myoglobin is found in the muscle tissue of dairy cows, Motif has found a way to express it in genetically engineered yeast strains.Motif’s HEMAMI is made with sophisticated technology and has the same characteristics as animal-derived proteins, and can be used to enhance the flavor and aroma of plant-based burgers, sausages and other meats.The main function of animal-derived myoglobin is flavor, but it also appears red when exposed to oxygen.The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is considering an application for a color additive to give HEMAMI a distinctive red color.
According to the company, factors such as taste, flavor, and texture prevent two-thirds of Americans from adopting plant-based meat substitutes in their diets.This feedback helped Motif identify the importance of meat flavor and umami to consumers, and the gap between plant-based alternatives and animal-based meat products.
Motif FoodWorks CEO Jonathan McIntyre (Jonathan McIntyre) said in a statement: “Plant-based foods have the potential to drive a more sustainable future, but it doesn’t matter unless people actually eat them.” HEMAMI provides a whole new level of taste and experience for meat substitutes, and a wider range of plant-based and flexible vegetarian consumers will crave this substitute.”
Earlier this year, Motif received US$226 million in Series B financing.Now that the product has been approved by the FDA, the company is advancing its scale and commercialization.As a result, Motif is building a 65,000-square-foot facility in Northborough, Massachusetts, which will include a research and development center, as well as a pilot plant for fermentation, ingredients, and finished product manufacturing.The food technology and finished products produced by the plant will be used for consumer testing and customer sampling, as well as verification of process technology before being sent to mass production partners.The facility is expected to be put into use later in 2022.
“In order to execute our overall innovation process and quickly develop and commercialize our proprietary technologies and products, we need to control the facilities and capabilities required to test, verify and expand our food technology,” McIntyre said.”We look forward to our new facility will bring opportunities and innovation to Motif and our customers.”
Heme protein is considered to be a key ingredient to improve the main market of plant-based meat.In 2018, Impossible Foods received the FDA’s GRAS status for its own soy heme, which is a core component of the company’s flagship product Impossible Burger.Initially, the company was asked to provide more information about its hemoglobin in order to receive the GRAS letter.Although the FDA does not require food testing on animals, Impossible Foods ultimately decided to test its hemoglobin on mice.
“No one is more committed or working harder to eliminate the exploitation of animals than Impossible Foods,” Impossible Foods founder Patrick O. Brown said in a statement entitled “The Painful Dilemma of Animal Testing” issued in August 2017.An option.We hope that we will never have to face such a choice again, but the choice that promotes the greater good is more important to us than ideological purity.”
Since receiving FDA approval in 2018, Impossible Foods has expanded its product range to include sausages, chicken nuggets, pork, and meatballs. The company has raised nearly US$2 billion to fund its replacement with plant-based alternatives by 2035. The mission of animal food. Currently, Impossible products can now be found in approximately 22,000 grocery stores and nearly 40,000 restaurants worldwide.
For more information about phytohemoglobin, please read: Impossible Fish?It’s on the way.Impossible food shows it was tested on animals, new research explains the link between meat and cancer
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Gift subscription sales!Provide services for VegNews this holiday season at a super discounted price.Buy one for yourself too!


Post time: Dec-24-2021