Veg eggs, the last frontier of Food Tech

Japan is the second largest consumer of eggs in the world, just after Mexico, and has long been looking for a more sustainable alternative in both ethical and environmental terms. Now food tech Next Meats has announced the arrival of Next Egg 1.0, plant-based eggs, which will soon be available on the company’s B2B channels in Japan, then reach consumers and, if vegan eggs pass the public test , also in other countries. The production of 1 kg of “traditional” eggs generates almost 5 kg of CO2 and the rearing of laying hens produces a series of problems in terms of pollution of the surrounding soil, water and air. In addition, breeding is often intensive, with hens forced into confined spaces and exploited for production for a short time (about two years) before being slaughtered. “With the launch of this new product we want to help raise awareness on the subject”, explained Next Meat CEO Rho Shirai “and we hope to make a contribution to reducing the carbon footprint of the sector by offering a sustainable alternative”. Not only that: the vegan egg is a valid alternative for those suffering from allergies and intolerances, who so far have not found many valid substitutes that replicate the taste and texture of the egg. Another food tech that proposes it is the Californian Just Eggs, which claims to use 98% less water for its products and to produce 93% less greenhouse gases than the animal equivalent, with the same characteristics nutritional and organoleptic. Here, too, the vegan substitute is the result of years of high-tech research, it is based on mung bean processed so that the proteins behave like those of the egg in cooking, and the yellow color comes from turmeric. Eggs are the latest frontier in the search for veg substitutes for animal proteins. Many have been working on meat for some time, but the challenge is not only that of nutritional value, but that of a texture and a flavor that can rival the original product. Indian startup PlantMade has taken up the challenge with a traditional dish , the lamb skewers that in these days arrive on the shelves of supermarkets in New Delhi, and then expand to Bangalore, Mumbai and Goa in the coming weeks. The focus is on the local market, to overcome the competition of “vegetarian meat” from foreign companies that offer products in more global formats. The PlantMade co-founder explained that he was inspired by his favorite seekh kababs, those of a specific restaurant in New Delhi, with the aim of exactly replicating the flavor. The sector is also in turmoil in France. Food tech Umiami has launched a round of investments to create large vegan cuts of meat that reproduce the texture of the muscle in its entirety. To do this, the Parisian startup has already devised a new production method, different from the extrusion tradition used in industry, called “umizazzione”. Their bet led to the raising of 2.3 million euros to bring their technology to scalable dimensions and not only aim at the vegetarian and vegan market, but also at all those who, calling themselves “flexitarians”, are looking for more alternatives. healthy and sustainable to animal products but have no intention of giving up meat completely. The same target that the British Quorn has in mind, which has just announced that it is in the final stages of a new extrusion technique specifically aimed at exactly replicating the texture and taste of chicken “to give our customers a food experience that is not is a compromise “.