Plant-Derived Heme Composition with Antioxidant for Meat Flavor
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current plant-based meat products struggle to replicate the taste, aroma, texture, and appearance of animal meat beyond limited products like burgers and nuggets, and the production of heme, a key component, is often limited to genetically modified yeast, restricting its applications and creating an entry barrier for new companies.
Innovation Solution
A heme composition derived from protoporphyrin IX extracted from plant, algal, bacterial, and/or animal sources, combined with antioxidants, amino acids, flavor enhancers, sugars, and solvents, to create a food-grade heme product that can be added to various food products to enhance their meat-like taste profile.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If heme is produced by genetically modified yeast, then the taste and aroma of plant-based meat can be improved, but the application scope is limited and entry barriers increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts heme from plant sources (such as soybeans) through chemical processing methods, separating the functional ingredient from the genetic modification constraint. This extraction approach allows heme to be obtained as a standalone additive that can be applied across multiple food products beyond just plant-based meat, resolving the limitation of application scope while maintaining taste quality
2Reliability
If heme concentration is increased to improve meat-like taste, then the taste profile improves, but oxidation stability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates antioxidants into the heme composition formulation in advance, creating a protective system that prevents oxidation before it can occur. This prior cushioning approach allows the heme to be stored and used at higher concentrations to achieve better meat-like taste without compromising oxidation stability, as the antioxidant component preemptively neutralizes oxidative threats
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The heme composition effectively enhances the taste, aroma, and texture of alternative protein products, providing a more meat-like experience while being safe for consumption and versatile for use in multiple food applications.
Implementation Method 1
an antioxidant at about 0.25% w/w to about 5% w/w relative to the heme composition
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure concerns heme and methods of synthesis thereof. The present disclosure also concerns to compositions and products thereof. The heme composition comprises heme at about 0.05% w/w to about 1% w/w relative to the heme composition and an antioxidant at about 0.25% w/w to about 5% w/w relative to the heme composition, wherein the heme is derived from protoporphyrin IX extracted from a plant, algal, bacterial and/or animal source.