Embracing a vegan diet is not easy, especially for those who love eating meat. However, there is an interesting food item that makes this process a little easier – Mock Meat! Alternatively known as mock meat, meat analog, meat alternative, soy meat or faux meat, this food item is sure to take the taste of your vegan meals a notch higher, while helping you stick to ethical living.
The food industry has been continually evolving with new flavours, products, and techniques. Lately, with the wave of vegetarianism and veganism, the demand and popularity of mock meat or meat analog has skyrocketed.
With the alternative meat industry receiving the interest of big investors like Virgin Group founder Richard Branson, co-founders of Twitter, and Bill Gates, it was obvious that this will become an upcoming trend in the food industry. With hefty investment, the variety, taste, and texture of the mock meat products have also improved dramatically and resulted in 268% growth between mid-2018 to 2019, as per a Dining Alliance report.
The credit of vegan meat popularity also goes to companies like Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods. These fake meat brands have introduced alternative meat into the mainstream fast food market by capturing the interest of restaurants like KFC, McDonald, Subway, Burger King, and others. In India too, people are becoming really curious about meat alternatives, especially after Bollywood actors and couple Riteish and Genelia Deshmukh announced the launch of their vegan meat brand in India called Imagine Meats.
So, whether you want to protect animals or improve your health, you should definitely try mock meat!
But what is it exactly?
What is Mock Meat?
First and foremost, you need to note that vegan meat alternatives and meatless alternatives are two polar opposite things. These two alternative meat options are often interchanged with terms like fake, mock, and faux meat, but that’s wrong because some of the best meatless products are made from products obtained from animals.
Thus, the real mock analog is made from plants and no animal products are used in the manufacturing process. Products like soy protein or wheat gluten are primarily used to make plant-based meat.
What Goes in Mock Meat – Key Ingredients in Fake Meat
It often amazes meat lovers how mock meat is fooling their tastebuds. Each brand has its special mock meat ingredients, but the basic process starts with soy protein or textured vegetable protein – in powdered form. The major challenge in manufacturing fake meat is getting the exact texture. The real texture of meat protein is fibrous, whereas soy protein is globular, so it is challenging to alter the soy’s molecular structure. To change the soy molecules, they are exposed to the intensive heat or acidity, and then the mixture is processed through a food extruder to reshape it.
However, if you are allergic to soy or simply don’t like its texture, don’t worry as soy isn’t the only way to make alternative meat. Some of the best meatless products are developed from wheat gluten, which has an elastic texture that can be processed into the chewy meat.
On innovative note, fake meat brands like Quorn use the double fermentation process that develops fungus structure, just like the animal protein. To develop other meat styles, the popular bacon brand – Phoney Baloney is processing the seasoned coconut flakes.
Beyond Meat has perfectly faked the chicken flavours. Beyond Meat’s protein structure is formed from soy, mustard seeds, yeast, and camelina. The University of Missouri food researchers Fu-Hung Hsieh and Harold Huff have developed the delicious strips of Beyond Meat.
Indian Mock Meat Brands
- Vezlay – It is a local Delhi-based vegan meat brand that offers an array of meatless products, including burger patties, veg chicken, mock mutton, and so much more.
- Good Dot – It offers environmentally sustainable alternative to animal meat in a lot of varieties
International Mock Meat Brands
- Amy’s – The organic burger and gluten-free pizza like vegan food products can be ordered from Amy’s.
- Beyond Meat – This company is proud of creating the world’s first plant-based burger that tastes and looks like beef without any soy, gluten, or GMO.
- Gardein – When you are looking for meatless nuggets, fish sticks, and chicken tender, Gardein can help you.
Is Mock Meat Healthy?
Yes, vegan meat is healthy without compromising on the taste. Mock meat should be eaten in moderate amounts, along with veggies and fruits.
There is no doubt that the vegan meat industry has a prosperous future ahead because it is good both for humans and the environment. Currently, mock meat has just seen the first ray of sunshine; the way it is gaining popularity soon, this industry will explode. So, be ready to embrace new vegan meatless food products that will fill up the market in coming days.
