What is the possibility of alternative foods for both "kalbi" and "tuna" from soybeans?
December 2, 18:58
Speaking of "field meat", yes, soybeans.
This parable that has been around for a long time.
As you may have heard, it is about to become a new genre of "meat", not a parable.
It is called "alternative meat" or "vegetable meat".
Is it a substitute for the real thing?
Or is it more than real?
What about the possibilities?
(Good morning Japan Good morning Biz caster Hiroto Fuseya Director Ryotaro Amagi)
Meat substitutes that are exciting in the world
For a long time, I've been interested in "meat substitutes" made from proteins such as soybeans and red beans.
An American food tech company has developed an alternative meat that looks and tastes like minced beef.
At supermarkets, they are sold with real meat ...
Sales of alternative meat burgers have begun at major burger chains ...
That's because such news was being sent out one after another from overseas.
In the meantime, I've been seeing more and more "meat substitutes" in Japan.
During this time, I found it on the menu of a burger shop I stopped by, and I can see hamburgers and meatballs on the shelves of supermarkets.
Infiltrate the front line of development!
So what kind of movement is happening in Japan?
So the other day, I headed to Nagaoka City, Niigata Prefecture.
This is because there was a research base for an alternative meat venture that was founded for about a year.
It is a company called "Next Meets".
When I asked to see the front line of development, the founder Ryo Shirai and the team members welcomed me.
The laboratory, which seems to be a venture and is a little cluttered, was impressive.
I interviewed this company because the things I made were unique.
Most of the meat substitutes are minced meat like burger patties, but this company is particular about making meat-shaped products.
There are sliced products that resemble grilled ribs and halami, and there are thick alternative chickens.
If you heat the "meat" in a frying pan, it will be browned.
A bite of alternative ribs as a trial.
The elastic texture was like a real thing.
In a slightly unusual place, we also sell canned alternative tuna, and we are also developing an alternative egg with a bright yellow color.
Alternative eggs can be eaten by people suffering from egg allergies.
Will meat substitutes save the planet?
Why is it an alternative meat now?
There are health consciousness and diversification of food, but more than that, there is a growing awareness of global environment and food issues.
Mr. Shirai also said that he came up with this meat substitute while seeking to solve global environmental issues in business.
For example, to produce 1 kg of beef, 11 kg of grain is consumed as food.
It is pointed out that a large amount of water is also used for breeding, and the "burp" of cattle is also a source of greenhouse gases.
If so, eating vegetable protein instead of meat has a much smaller environmental burden and prepares for a future food crisis.
It is said that he thought so.
"Currently, the size of the global meat market is roughly 200 trillion yen. If 1% is replaced with meat substitutes, a market of 2 trillion yen will be created."
It seems that there was such a reading.
How to reproduce the texture of "meat"
So how do you make meat substitutes?
The main ingredient of both "beef" and "chicken" is soybean powder.
It is kneaded, heated and pressurized with a processing machine called an extruder, and molded into a "meat" -like shape.
At that time, it seems that the know-how is to finely adjust "heat, pressure, water content".
By changing each value, the state of molecular binding changes, and even though the ingredients are the same, it seems that it is possible to create a texture like cow or chicken.
For example, "chicken" had a well-reproduced shape like muscle fibers.
To the world with "detonation velocity"
I continued my research for three years until I was able to produce this kind of meat texture, and I founded the company last year because I was about to commercialize it.
Currently, 13 types of products are on sale.
We have expanded our sales channels to supermarkets and yakiniku chains, and are expanding overseas such as Singapore.
Mr. Shirai
"I'm going out to the world as a Japanese brand at once. I'll do this at" explosive speed ". I'm making something that resembles meat, but eventually I want to make something that exceeds meat. Instead of meat I hope it will take root as a new food, not as a product. "
If the rare meat substitutes can be eaten normally at the world's dining tables.
This is the future that Mr. Shirai is aiming for.
Seafood is also from soybeans
By the way, it is not only "meat" that is made from soybeans.
Sea urchin, a high-class sea urchin ingredient, has also appeared.
We developed "Fuji Oil", which was founded in 1950.
A manufacturer that makes edible oils and fats and oils for chocolate using palms and palms as raw materials.
It is one of the top three commercial chocolate sellers in the world.
Focusing on the potential of soybean protein from an early stage, we have continued research and development to produce protein materials that can be used as raw materials for soybean hamburgers and dumplings.
We also have a patent to make rich soymilk cream from soybeans using our accumulated technology.
The "alternative sea urchin" was developed using this patented technology.
The sticky texture of sea urchin has been reproduced.
This is Unidria.
Developed "alternative sea urchin".
It can be arranged in various dishes.
Japanese alternative ingredients
As interest in alternative foods grows around the world, the company is trying to expand its business by making "Japanese ingredients" like sea urchin.
Alternative sea urchins have a longer shelf life than the real ones, so we have already received inquiries from restaurants and hotels.
Mr. Suzuki
"If we develop Japanese-style vegetable foods, we will surely be able to create interesting foods. I feel very responsive."
Nowadays, it is called "alternative food" in the sense that it is a substitute for real food.
Regardless of whether it exceeds the real thing, it seems that there is a possibility that it will become a food along with the real thing, saying, "Yesterday was animal meat, so today is soybean" meat "."
Eat deliciously and help solve social issues.
I hope that such technology will spread from Japan.
Good morning Japan Good morning Biz Caster (Department of Economic Affairs Desk)
Hiroto Fuseya
Joined in 1993
Interviewed the financial field and the Ministry of Finance in
Washington, USA,
and covered
TPP and monetary policy.
Director
Ryotaro Amagi
Joined in
2015 After working at
NHK
Matsue Broadcasting Station, he was in charge of economic programs.
Covering the latest trends and technologies such as e-sports and food tech.