Cultivated meat pioneer Mosa Meat has applied to market cultured fat in Europe: that animal-free ingredient could lift the flavour experience of plant-based meat substitutes.
‘The soul of flavour’
Mosa Meat has submitted an application to the European Commission (EC) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to market beef fat cultivated in bioreactors. The intention is to commercialise this fat as an ingredient in ‘hybrid’ meat alternatives such as plant-based burgers, meatballs, empanadas or bolognese. Indeed, fat plays a crucial role in the taste experience, aroma and mouthfeel of meat.
‘Fat is the soul of flavor, and we’ve developed an ingredient that delivers the rich culinary experience consumers expect from conventional beef. This innovation not only enhances our Mosa Burgers but also has the potential to elevate plant-based products, which often struggle to replicate the full sensory experience of meat,’ says Maarten Bosch, CEO of Mosa Meat.
Combination of cultivated and plant-based ingredients
The EU’s so-called ‘Novel Foods’ approval procedure, which will take up to 18 months, requires cultured ingredients to be submitted separately. With this registration, Mosa Meat says it is taking an important step towards the European market: ‘By starting with cultivated fat, we’re paving the way to introduce our first burgers to consumers while staying true to our long-term vision. Our initial products will combine cultivated and plant-based ingredients.’
Lab meat, cultured meat or cellular meat is made from real animal cells that are fed in bioreactors to grow into muscle, fat and connective tissue, with the same composition as traditional meat. Cultured meat is said to produce up to 93% less greenhouse gases, use 95% less land and 78% less water than industrial meat production. In 2013, co-founder Mark Post, presented the first-ever cell-culture-based beef burger at a press conference in London. It did cost more than 250,000 euros at the time. Cultured fat, meanwhile, could be produced at acceptable prices.
