HOW do you like your steak? Rare, medium-rare, well-done or 3D-printed?
Novameat, a Barcelona-based startup that created the world’s first 3D printed plant-based beef steak in 2018, has unveiled an updated version of its whole muscle beef steak.
According to Vegconomist, a Vegan business magazine, the re-invented version offers both the “texture and appearance of real beef steak”.
Novameat founder Giuseppe Scionti was quoted as saying that the longstanding issue in plant meats to date has been that of creating a “viable alternative to animal fibrous meats”, such as whole beef steaks.
Novameat’s technologies, he said, poses the capability to finely tune the structure of plant-based proteins at the microscopic level, which meant that it could mimic the texture, appearance, nutritional and sensorial properties of fibrous animal meats such as beef steak, chicken breast meat, and tuna steak.
“Our goal is to demonstrate that our technology works at small and later large-scale, so that future manufacturers using this technology will be able to select a variety of ingredients, to provide a wide array of tools able to mimic different types of meat and seafood,” he was quoted as saying.
Netizens were divided over this creation with some questioning the need for it, while others (mainly vegans) excited to give the plant-based beef steak a try.
“Just because you can create something doesn’t mean ya should. Yikes. 3D print my shoes, not my steak,” Ryan tweeted.
Another wrote: “3D printed veggie steak!? Pffft….no... real beef please.”
“Question… if vegan life is soo good, why do you keep trying to make meat out of vegetables?” Phiri asked.
To which other netizens replied: “It’s familiarity. It’s also an easy way to introduce new Vegans. If you can convince them that they are going to be eating all of the same food, but just the vegan version of it, they may be more inclined to switch over.”
“Because it tastes good. Vegans didn’t stop eating meat, because they don’t like the taste, but because (for example) they don’t want animals to die for them. So what should be wrong with producing something, which includes both positive points?”, asked another.