In the Netherlands, the Plant Meat Matters project, a four-year, public-private partnership kicked off to study the appearance, texture, taste and sustainability benefits of vegetable alternatives to meat and will make industrial-scale, mild production processes possible, based on shear-cell technology developed by Wageningen University and Research.
The shear-cell technology transforms vegetable protein into layered, fibrous structures, which closely match the appearance and texture of meat. The technology provides a precisely controllable alternative to conventional production methods such as extrusion.
Until now, shear-cell technology was only possible at lab and pilot scales. Plant Meat Matters is the first to upscale this to an industrial level. “In four years, we will have a first version of a production line that will allow companies to make excellent meat substitutes in large volumes, with a variety of textures. Imagine, for example, a 100% vegetable steak,” said Atze Jan van der Goot, Professor at Wageningen.