News Highlight
Recently, cricketer M S Dhoni picked up an undisclosed equity stake in plant-based meat startup Shaka Harry.
Key Takeaway
- About
- Plant-based meat (also referred to as a meat alternative or fake meat) is a food product eaten as a replacement for meat.
- It bio-mimics or replicates meat, seafood, eggs, and milk derived from animals — by looking, smelling, and tasting like them.
- It is made from vegetarian or vegan ingredients such as soy, wheat gluten, pea protein or mycoprotein.
- Significance:
- These are consumed as a source of dietary protein by vegetarians, vegans, and people following religious and cultural dietary laws.
- Their demand has also increased among non-vegetarians seeking to reduce the environmental impact of meat production in terms of greenhouse gas production and water and land use.
- Criticism:
- These are not necessarily healthier than meat due to their highly processed nature and sodium content.
- Uses of preservatives in plant-based meat, etc.
How are Plant-based meat and dairy made?
- Like plants, animal meat contains protein, fat, vitamins, minerals, and water. This biochemical similarity allows for finding analogues in the plant kingdom or making them through mechanical, chemical, or biological treatment of such ingredients.
- The challenge lies in replicating muscle tissue that plants don’t have. The unique spatial arrangement of proteins in these tissues creates the distinct texture of animal meat.
- As for plant-based dairy, the main products are milk from oats, almonds, soybean, coconut and rice.
How big is the plant-based meat and milk industry?
- According to the Good Foods Institute in Washington, DC, retail sales of plant-based animal product alternatives in the US stood at $7.4 billion in 2021.
Content Source: Indian express