Scientists Develop a Soybean That Tastes Like Animal Meat

A startling pink color can be found inside a newly developed soybean variety, marking a major milestone in agricultural innovation. This breakthrough showcases a pioneering form of genetic engineering in which pig DNA is seamlessly integrated into the genetic makeup of soybeans.

Gastón Paladini, CEO and co-founder of Moolec, the visionary startup behind this remarkable achievement, explains: “At the end of the day, we’re replicating what nature does in an animal inside a plant,” Moolec aims to harness the potential of this unique soybean by extracting pork protein from it and supplying it to food producers. This innovative approach aims to improve the taste and texture of plant-based meat alternatives, giving consumers an exceptional sensory experience similar to real meat.

“We looked at the key animal proteins that provide texture, flavor, and nutrition,” says Amit Dhingra, the startup’s chief science officer. “We know the DNA sequence of these proteins.” Through genetic engineering, the team tweaked the nucleus of the soybean plant so that it can produce the same proteins. The crop can be grown on farms, like any other soybeans.

Scientists Develop a Soybean That Tastes Like Animal Meat

Called “molecular farming” by the company, the process offers a more cost-effective way to produce authentic animal protein without the need for animal husbandry and slaughter, unlike “cell culture” or lab-grown meat, which requires growing animal cells in industrial tanks. Furthermore, lab-grown meat production is energy intensive and recent studies show that its carbon footprint can even exceed that of conventional beef production. In contrast, Moolec’s method is easier to scale up compared to precision fermentation, another approach that uses microbes to produce animal protein and requires specialized infrastructure.

“The beauty of Moolec’s technology is that actually the only thing that we are modifying is just the seed, at the very beginning of the value chain itself, and the biology and the current infrastructure does the rest,” Paladini explains. This potential allows the company to reach cost parity with conventional animal protein. Given that farmers already produce 350 million metric tons of soybeans annually, the new genetically modified seeds could easily replace part of the current soybean crop. A significant portion of current soy production is used as animal feed, contributing to deforestation. By obtaining animal protein directly from plants, pressure on land use and natural resources could be significantly reduced.

While ordinary soybeans can be used to create relatively realistic plant-based meat, it typically requires the addition of numerous other additives. By using proteins that are identical to those found naturally in animals, the resulting product is more likely to convince meat enthusiasts to switch to meat, requiring fewer additional ingredients. Some other startups, such as Nobell, are taking a similar approach to producing animal proteins, using soybeans to produce milk proteins for cheese production.

References: https://www.fastcompany.com/90913749/these-soybeans-taste-like-pork