Israeli, Palestinian scientists develop metamaterials for scalable production of meat alternatives

Jerusalem, Jan 8 Israeli and Palestinian bioengineers developed two new metamaterials to create whole cuts of meat using injection molding, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU) said in a statement on Wednesday.

In a new study published in Nature Communications, the team leveraged cutting-edge materials science to overcome the long-standing challenges of replicating the texture and structure of traditional meat while offering a scalable and cost-effective production method.

By adopting principles typically used in the aerospace industry, the team led by Mohammad Ghosheh and Yaakov Nahmias from Hebrew University, developed meat analogues that mimic the intricate architecture of muscle and fat.

Metamaterials are engineered composite materials whose properties arise from their structure rather than their composition.

The first metamaterial developed by the team is a low-temperature meat analog that replicates the fibrous texture of muscle tissue.

The second one is a proteoleogel, a plant-protein-stabilized oil gel that emulates the structural integrity and cooking behavior of animal fat, reported Xinhua news agency.

To create the new meat analogs with the new metamaterials, the team used injection molding, a high-capacity manufacturing process borrowed from the polymer industry.

HU noted that this marks the first time this technology has been applied to alternative meat production.

Together, these materials allow the creation of complex meat cuts, such as steaks, chops, and T-bones, with high precision and sensory fidelity.

According to the study, this method reduces costs to 9 US dollars per kilogramme at large-scale production, nearly a quarter of the cost of 3D printing, making sustainable meat alternatives more accessible to a broader audience.

Blind taste tests included in the study showed that participants couldn't tell the difference between steak analogs and real meat.

HU concluded that the study highlights metamaterials' potential to create scalable, sustainable protein alternatives, addressing the environmental impact and freshwater use in livestock farming and opening new possibilities for sustainable food products.

Source: IANS