Impossible Foods has released a new meat-free burger, containing no gluten, animal hormones or antibiotics.
The next-generation Impossible Burger has 0mg of cholesterol, 14 grams of total fat and 240 calories in a quarter-pound patty.
A new recipe sees the burger get its meaty chew and texture from soy protein, not wheat protein – a response to consumers who enjoyed the original Impossible Burger but wanted no wheat or gluten.
The first Impossible Burger was custom-designed for flat-top cooking at restaurants. By contrast, the new recipe is said to work in every ground meat dish. It can be steamed, seared or sizzled on slats over an open flame and “retains its texture and juiciness throughout the cooking process”.
Impossible Foods chief operations officer and chief financial officer David Lee said: “Impossible Burger fans told us loud and clear they wanted a gluten-free burger that was at least as nutritious as meat from animals. Our new product delivers all the taste meat lovers crave – without compromise to nutrition or the planet.”
Based in Redwood City, California, Impossible Foods said that one molecule – heme – is responsible for the explosion of flavours that result when meat is cooked. Its scientists genetically engineer and ferment yeast to produce a heme protein naturally found in plants, called soy leghemoglobin. The company claims that the heme in its burgers is identical to the heme humans consume in meat.
In 2017, the firm closed a $75 million funding round and secured the backing of Bill Gates.
Impossible Foods CEO and founder Patrick Brown said: “The newest Impossible Burger delivers everything that matters to hard-core meat lovers, including taste, nutrition and versatility. This is the plant-based meat that will eliminate the need for animals in the food chain and make the global food system sustainable.”
The Impossible Burger is now available in more than 5,000 restaurant and burger chains in the US as well as 100 outlets in Hong Kong and Macau. Later this year, Impossible Foods plans to launch the burger in select US grocery stores.
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