The NotBurger. Meat Substitution by the Use of Methyl Cellulose

Project Report from the year 2022 in the subject Food Technology, grade: 1,3, , course: School of Agronomy, language: English, abstract: This paper is about the Chilean company 'NotCo' and its product 'NotBurger'. It deals with the ingredients, the production of vegan meat substitutes and the nutritional values. In addition, the performance of a sensory triangle test is exemplified and its evaluation is discussed. Due to the steady growth of the world's population and increasing wealth in developing countries, the demand for protein is rising. However, it is difficult to meet the demand for protein with animal protein alone. In addition, several customers attach great importance to their well-being and health, so they avoid eating meat for ecological, ethical and social reasons. On the food industry side, a trend is emerging towards the production of plant-based protein-rich products for human consumption. In the first quarter of 2020, sales of meat substitutes in Germany increased by 37% compared to the first quarter of 2019, from just under 14.7 thousand tons to 20 thousand tons. For consumers to opt for the plant-based alternative, these products must mimic the techno-functional and sensory properties of animal products. In recent years, the offer from different manufacturers has increased and vegan sausages, hamburgers or chicken fillets are already widespread. As soy protein is increasingly rejected by consumers due to concerns about rainforest deforestation and genetically modified seeds, the number of products based on pea or wheat protein is increasing. Consumers are also increasingly turning their attention to other ingredients, which is why the trend is moving towards 'clean labeling'. Here, recipes are adapted so that as many, and ideally all, ingredients as possible can be found in the home kitchen. The aim is to counteract the reputation that substitute products are purely chemical and unhealthy foods. However, substitutes must have the same properties in texture, taste and color as the original ingredients. As this is often based on complex interrelationships, the substitution of methyl cellulose for flaxseed meal in a vegan hamburger will be considered individually in the course of this work. For this purpose, a sensory tasting including the recruitment of panelists and the presentation of samples will be developed.