The New York Times recently reported that plant-based protein meat, such as soy protein, is gradually gaining popularity among consumers. As fish substitutes attract a lot of investment and gradually come into people’s sight, artificial fish meat will soon be on the table, and the industry may enter an explosive period.
Consumers in some countries are becoming more and more aware of the environmental problems of the seafood industry, including overfishing and health risks caused by certain seafood. In addition, some start-ups are doing better at imitating the taste and texture of fish, which is an important consideration for non-vegetarians, prompting more and more artificial fish to appear on the table.
Some start-ups are developing alternative fish protein that mimics raw fish. A company called Kulyana restricts the sale of plant-based sushi-grade tuna through poke bar restaurants in Los Angeles and even the United States. The company’s CEO Jacek Pruss said that although the artificial fish fillet wrapped in breadcrumbs has been selling well so far, if the industry wants to attract non-vegetarians, it needs to further improve products that mimic raw fish. “The biggest challenge we face is how to better reconstruct the texture and taste of seafood.”
Industry insiders explained that from a technical perspective, vegetable protein meat is mainly separated from vegetable proteins such as soybeans. With a variety of condiments, it can present a meaty taste without much investment. However, meat cultured with cells is cultured with animal cells, which involves tissue engineering theories in the field of biological high-tech, and there are still many technical obstacles. From the perspective of the entire industry, the commercialization of cell culture meat is a long process, and the cost is much higher than that of vegetable protein meat. Therefore, vegetable protein artificial fish meat can realize fish meat substitutes faster.
Shandong Arrow Intelligent Equipment Co., Ltd. has a plant protein meat innovation research and development center. After continuous exploration and experimentation, it has successfully developed fish-like protein products. Both the appearance and the taste are close to the real taste, Arrow will also work with customers to develop more seafood-like plant protein products.
