ZEITGEIST FAKE MEAT
There's nothing better than a barbecue on a hot day. But actual meat is now not the only grill goods on offer: it seems like new types of meat-free sausages, schnitzels and salami appear on the supermarket shelves every other week.
But how are plant-based meats actually made? And when are we likely to see cultivated (better known as lab-grown) meat available on shelves? Plus, are either of these options a cut above the real thing?
Let's tuck into the science of fake meats.
What is real meat?
To understand what fake meats are trying to imitate or replicate, first we have to understand good ol’ regular meat.
Let's use beef as an example. A beef burger patty is a mix of fat and muscle tissue from a cow. A patty might be in the realm of 20% fat and 80% muscle tissue.
When it comes to beef patties you might think of a piece of perfectly marbled steak being ground up into mince. That's how it happens if you grind your own meat, but at themix meats from a bunch of different cows, and they can even be from different countries.
