From vegnews.com
From whole-cut steaks to hyper-realistic seafood, the next wave of vegan meat is redefining what plant-based protein can be
A decade later, Beyond and Impossible remain at the forefront of the industry and have expanded their portfolios to include plant-based chicken and pork—products engineered to mimic everything from fibrous muscle pull to lightly browned skin and rendered fat.
But now, a new era of plant meat is on the horizon. A number of companies are perfecting specialty meatless meats that move beyond all-purpose proteins like beef, chicken, and pork, and instead tackle regional spice profiles, cuts, and cooking traditions.
Pushing the boundaries of plant-based
At woman-owned Kula, pea protein forms the base of the brand’s heat-and-eat goat curry—an aromatic, hearty staple in Afro-Caribbean cuisine. The protein is structured to hold up in long-simmered sauces, soaking in warming spices and delivering the dense, stew-ready bite associated with conventional goat meat.
The vegan meat purveyors at London-born company This also employs pea protein when crafting its lamb kebabs, designed to char at the edges while staying springy and juicy at the centre. Flavoured with mint and cumin for depth of flavour, these bites come complete with skewers so they’re instantly ready for grilling.
Vegan beef breaks out from the confines of burger patties and crumbly grounds thanks to South Korea’s Millennial Flavor Town. Fermented hedgehog mushrooms, fava beans, and soy are used to create a whole-cut tenderloin complete with melt-in-your-mouth, fatty marbling. When cooked, the marbling softens and bastes the surrounding “muscle,” just like high-end beef cuts.
Seafood in a new light
Mushroom fermentation technology isn’t just breathing new life into beefless beef—it’s also expanding the plant-based seafood category as well. Revo Foods’ The Kraken—one-of-a-kind vegan octopus tentacles complete with suckers and a firm, elastic bite designed to withstand grilling or braising—is crafted from mycoprotein, a fermented fungus-based protein.
Juicy Marbles’ flaky, whole-cut cod fish fillet, created in partnership with Revo, boasts a similar mycoprotein makeup.
Beyond fungi and plant ingredients, new technologies are being developed to cultivate real animal protein without slaughter. Cell samples taken harmlessly from living animals are placed inside bioreactors and fed nutrients to grow into real meat, recreating familiar cuts at a cellular level.
San Diego-based BlueNalu uses this technology to produce cultivated bluefin tuna toro, a highly sought-after cut of tuna belly fat prized for its silken texture, high fat content, and buttery mouthfeel. By growing toro instead of depleting tuna from the oceans, BlueNalu aims to usher in a new era of sustainable seafood production that supports ocean diversity.
And to make its flaky white fish and forthcoming eel, Steakholder Foods trades meat-growing bioreactors for 3D printers to transform plant-based and cultivated ingredients into next-generation seafood products.
Global appeal with pork and poultry
Some of the most ambitious advances in meatless meat now revolve around the proteins people eat most worldwide. New York-based MyForest Foods uses oyster mushroom mycelium—the meaty, fibrous root structure of mushrooms—to craft clean-label, plant-based renditions of pulled pork and crispy bacon.
San Francisco start-up Mission Barns innovates by melding cell-grown pork fat with plant-based proteins to mimic pork’s richness and succulence—qualities notoriously difficult to replicate with plants alone. Last year, the company made history when its pork meatballs debuted for a limited run on grocery store shelves, marking the first time cultivated meat was available for purchase in US stores. Next up? Bacon, pepperoni, and sausages.
In Australia, cultured meat company Vow has developed a number of “publicity stunt” bites (including a kangaroo dumpling and a mammoth meatball) to demonstrate its technology, before bringing its cultivated Japanese quail to Singapore—the first government to approve the meat for sale. Vow used the quail to craft a luxurious foie gras, complete with the dish’s signature unctuousness and gentle melt—but without the cruelty.
With cutting-edge technology, compassion for animals, and a hunger for the tastiest options, the plant-based sector is poised for continued innovation. Only time will tell what’s next.
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