Kruse/Thorn: The paradox of plant-based protein

Newer to the scene is Impossible Foods Impossible Burger, made with wheat protein, potato protein, coconut oil, carbohydrates from a Japanese yam, xanthan gum, and heme. Meat is arguably a strain on the environment, and some people object to eating meat on moral grounds, but they still like its taste. Maybe they’ve been lulled by research from The NPD Group showing that more than 50 percent of consumers regard meat as the best source of protein, with over 60 percent eating it on any given day.

Key Takeaways:

• Chains including Tropical Smoothie Café; and Which Wich Superior Sandwiches have introduced Beyond Meat Chicken-Free Strips in recent years, made mostly with a blend of soy and pea protein.
• Meanwhile, producer Beyond Meat has used mostly pea protein to make its Beyond Burger, which is colored with beets so it appears to “bleed.”
• ​Heme is a protein found in all living cells, according to Impossible Foods founder Patrick Brown, but especially in the red blood cells of animals where it carries oxygen.

“​Heme is a protein found in all living cells, according to Impossible Foods founder Patrick Brown, but especially in the red blood cells of animals where it carries oxygen.”

http://nrn.com/food-trends/krusethorn-paradox-plant-based-protein