The new generation of veggie burgers aims to replace the beefy original with fake meat or fresher vegetables. To find out how well they do, we ran a blind tasting of six top contenders. By Julia Moskin.
In just two years, food technology has moved consumers from browsing for wan “veggie patties” in the frozen aisle to selecting fresh “plant-based burgers” sold next to the ground beef.
Behind the scenes at the supermarket, giant battles are being waged: Meat producers are suing to have the words “meat” and “burger” restricted to their own products. Makers of meat alternatives like Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods are vying to capture the global fast-food market, as big players like Tyson and Perdue join the fray. Environmental and food scientists are insisting that we eat more plants and less processed food. Many vegetarians and vegans say the goal is to break the habit of eating meat, not feed it with surrogates.
“I would still prefer to eat something that’s not lab-grown,” said Isa Chandra Moskowitz, the chef at the vegan restaurant Modern Love in Omaha, where her own burger is the most popular dish on the menu. “But it’s better for people and for the planet to eat one of those burgers instead of meat every day, if that’s what they are going to do anyway.”
The new refrigerator-case “meat” products already comprise one of the fastest-growing segments of the food industry.
Some are proudly high-tech, assembled from an array of starches, fats, salts, sweeteners and synthetic umami-rich proteins. They are made possible by new technologies that, for example, whip coconut oil and cocoa butter into tiny globules of white fat that give the Beyond Burger the marbled appearance of ground beef.
Others are resolutely simple, based on whole grains and vegetables, and reverse-engineered with ingredients like yeast extract and barley malt to be crustier, browner and juicier than their frozen veggie-burger predecessors. (Some consumers are turning away from those familiar products, not only because of the taste, but because they are most often made with highly processed ingredients.)
But how do all the newcomers perform at the table?
The Times restaurant critic Pete Wells, our cooking columnist Melissa Clark and I lined up both kinds of new vegan burgers for a blind tasting of six national brands. Though many people have already tasted these burgers in restaurants, we wanted to replicate the experience of a home cook. (To that end, Melissa and I roped in our daughters: my 12-year-old vegetarian and her 11-year-old burger aficionado.)
Each burger was seared with a teaspoon of canola oil in a hot skillet, and served in a potato bun. We first tasted them plain, then loaded with our favorites among the classic toppings: ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, pickles and American cheese. Here are the results, on a rating scale of one to five stars.
1. Impossible Burger
★★★★½
Maker Impossible Foods, Redwood City, Calif.
Slogan “Made From Plants For People Who Love Meat”
Selling points Vegan, gluten-free.
Price $8.99 for a 12-ounce package.
Tasting notes “The most like a beef burger by far,” was my first scribbled note. Everyone liked its crisp edges, and Pete noted its “brawny flavor.” My daughter was convinced it was a real ground beef patty, slipped in to confuse us. The only one of the six contenders that includes genetically modified ingredients, the Impossible Burger contains a compound (soy leghemoglobin) created and manufactured by the company from plant hemoglobins; it quite successfully replicates the “bloody” look and taste of a rare burger. Melissa deemed it “charred in a good way,” but, like most plant-based burgers, it became rather dried out before we finished eating.
Ingredients: Water, soy protein concentrate, coconut oil, sunflower oil, natural flavors, 2 percent or less of: potato protein, methylcellulose, yeast extract, cultured dextrose, food starch-modified, soy leghemoglobin, salt, soy protein isolate, mixed tocopherols (vitamin E), zinc gluconate, thiamine hydrochloride (vitamin B1), sodium ascorbate (vitamin C), niacin, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), riboflavin (vitamin B2), vitamin B12.
2. Beyond Burger
★★★★
Maker Beyond Meat, El Segundo, Calif.
Slogan “Go Beyond”
Selling points Vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, non-G.M.O.
Price $5.99 for two four-ounce patties.
Tasting notes The Beyond Burger was “juicy with a convincing texture,” per Melissa, who also commended its “roundness, with lots of umami.” Her daughter identified a faint but pleasing smoky flavor, reminiscent of barbecue-flavored potato chips. I liked its texture: crumbly but not dry, as a burger should be. This burger was the most visually similar to one made of ground beef, evenly marbled with white fat (made from coconut oil and cocoa butter) and oozing a bit of red juice, from beets. Over all, Pete said, a “real beefy” experience.
Ingredients: Water, pea protein isolate, expeller-pressed canola oil, refined coconut oil, rice protein, natural flavors, cocoa butter, mung bean protein, methylcellulose, potato starch, apple extract, salt, potassium chloride, vinegar, lemon juice concentrate, sunflower lecithin, pomegranate fruit powder, beet juice extract (for color).
3. Lightlife Burger
★★★
Maker Lightlife/Greenleaf Foods, Toronto
Slogan “Food That Shines”
Selling points Vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, non-G.M.O.
Price $5.99 for two four-ounce patties.
Tasting notes “Warm and spicy” with a “crisp exterior” according to Melissa, the Lightlife burger is a new offering from a company that has been making burgers and other meat substitutes from tempeh (a fermented soy product with a sturdier texture than tofu) for decades. That’s probably why it nailed the “firm and chewy texture” that I found a little bready, but “not worse than most fast-food burgers.” “Pretty good when loaded up” was Pete’s final verdict.
Ingredients: Water, pea protein, expeller-pressed canola oil, modified cornstarch, modified cellulose, yeast extract, virgin coconut oil, sea salt, natural flavor, beet powder (for color), ascorbic acid (to promote color retention), onion extract, onion powder, garlic powder.
4. Uncut Burger
★★★
Maker Before the Butcher, San Diego
Slogan “Meaty but Meatless”
Selling points Vegan, gluten-free, non-G.M.O.
Price $5.49 for two four-ounce patties, available later this year.
Tasting notes The Uncut Burger, so named by the manufacturer to imply the opposite of a cut of meat, actually rated among the meatiest of the bunch. I was impressed by its slightly chunky texture, “like good coarse-ground beef,” but Melissa felt it made the burger fall apart “like wet cardboard.” The taste seemed “bacony” to Pete, perhaps because of the “grill flavor” and “smoke flavor” listed in the formula. (To food manufacturers, they are not quite the same thing: one is intended to taste of charring, the other of wood smoke.)
Ingredients: Water, soy protein concentrate, expeller-pressed canola oil, refined coconut oil, isolated soy protein, methylcellulose, yeast extract (yeast extract, salt, natural flavor), caramel color, natural flavor (yeast extract, maltodextrin, salt, natural flavors, medium chain triglycerides, acetic acid, grill flavor [from sunflower oil], smoke flavor), beet juice powder (maltodextrin, beet juice extract, citric acid), natural red color (glycerin, beet juice, annatto), citric acid.
5. FieldBurger
★★½
Maker Field Roast, Seattle
Slogan “Plant-Based Artisanal Meats”
Selling points Vegan, soy-free, non-G.M.O.
Price About $6 for four 3.25-ounce patties.
Tasting notes Not much like meat, but still “much better than the classic” frozen vegetarian patties, to my mind, and the consensus choice for a good vegetable burger (rather than a meat replica). Tasters liked its “vegetal” notes, a reflection of the onions, celery and three different forms of mushroom — fresh, dried and powdered — on the ingredients list. There was some crispness to like in the crust, according to Pete, but the bready interior (it contains gluten) was not popular. “Maybe this burger would do better without a bun?” he asked.
Ingredients: Vital wheat gluten, filtered water, organic expeller-pressed palm fruit oil, barley, garlic, expeller-pressed safflower oil, onions, tomato paste, celery, carrots, naturally flavored yeast extract, onion powder, mushrooms, barley malt, sea salt, spices, carrageenan (Irish moss sea vegetable extract), celery seed, balsamic vinegar, black pepper, shiitake mushrooms, porcini mushroom powder, yellow pea flour.
6. Sweet Earth Fresh Veggie Burger
★★½
Maker Sweet Earth Foods, Moss Landing, Calif.
Slogan “Exotic by Nature, Conscious by Choice”
Selling points Vegan, soy-free, non-G.M.O.
Price About $4.25 for two four-ounce patties.
Tasting notes This burger is sold only in flavors; I chose Mediterranean as the most neutral. Tasters liked the familiar profile of what Melissa declared “the burger for people who love falafel,” made mostly from chickpeas and bulked out with mushrooms and gluten. (Called “vital wheat gluten” on ingredient lists, it is a concentrated formulation of wheat gluten, commonly added to bread to make it lighter and chewier, and the main ingredient in seitan.) The burger wasn’t meaty, but had “nutty, toasted grain” notes that I liked from brown rice, and whiffs of spices like cumin and ginger. This burger is a longtime market leader, and Sweet Earth was recently acquired by Nestlé USA on the strength of it; the company is now introducing a new plant-meat contender called the Awesome Burger.
Ingredients: Garbanzo beans, mushroom, vital wheat gluten, green peas, kale, water, bulgur wheat, barley, bell peppers, carrot, quinoa, extra-virgin olive oil, red onion, celery, flax seed, cilantro, garlic, nutritional yeast, granulated garlic, sea salt, ginger, granulated onion, lime juice concentrate, cumin, canola oil, oregano.
P.1: Xinrui Group – Plantation Base – N-GMO Soybean Plants
Soybeans were cultivated in Asia about 3,000 years ago. Soy was first introduced to Europe in the early 18th century and to British colonies in North America in 1765, where it was first grown for hay. Benjamin Franklin wrote a letter in 1770 mentioning bringing soybeans home from England. Soybeans did not become an important crop outside of Asia until about 1910. Soy was introduced to Africa from China in the late 19th Century and is now widespread across the continent.
In America soy was considered an industrial product only and not used as a food prior to the 1920’s. Traditional non-fermented food uses of soybeans include soy milk and from the latter tofu and tofu skin. Fermented foods include soy sauce, fermented bean paste, natto, and tempeh, among others. Originally, soy protein concentrates and isolates were used by the meat industry to bind fat and water in meat applications and to increase protein content in lower grade sausages. They were crudely refined and if added at above 5% amounts, they imparted a “beany” flavor to the finished product. As technology advanced soy products were refined further and exhibit a neutral flavor today.
In the past the soybean industry begged for acceptance but today soybean products can be found in every supermarket. Differently flavored soy milk and roasted soybeans lie next to almonds, walnuts and peanuts. Today soy proteins are considered not just a filler material, but a “good food” and are used by athletes in diet and muscle building drinks or as refreshing fruit smoothies.
P.2: Xinrui Group –N-GMO Soybeans
Soybeans are considered to be a source of complete protein. A complete protein is one that contains significant amounts of all the essential amino acids that must be provided to the human body because of the body’s inability to synthesize them. For this reason soy is a good source of protein amongst many others for vegetarians and vegans or for people who want to reduce the amount of meat they eat. They can replace meat with soy protein products without requiring major adjustments elsewhere in the diet. From the soybean many other products are obtained such as: soy flour, textured vegetable protein, soy oil, soy protein concentrate, soy protein isolate, soy yoghurt, soy milk and animal feed for farm raised fish, poultry and cattle.
The dramatic increase in interest in soy products is largely credited to the 1995 ruling of the Food and Drug Administration allowing health claims for foods containing 6.25 g of protein per serving. The FDA approved soy as an official cholesterol-lowering food along with other heart and health benefits. The FDA granted the following health claim for soy: “25 grams of soy protein a day, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease.”
Soy flour is made by milling soybeans. Depending on the amount of oil extracted the flour can be full-fat or de-fatted. It can be made as fine powder or more coarse soy grits. Protein content of different soy flours:
Full-fat soy flour - 35%.
Low-fat soy flour - 45%.
Defatted soy flour - 47%.
Soy Proteins
Soybeans contain all three of the nutrients required for good nutrition: complete protein, carbohydrate and fat as well as vitamins and minerals including calcium, folic acid and iron. The composition of soy protein is nearly equivalent in quality to meat, milk and egg protein. Soybean oil is 61% polyunsaturated fat and 24% monounsaturated fat which is comparable to the total unsaturated fat content of other vegetable oils. Soybean oil contains no cholesterol.
Commercially processed meats contain soy protein today throughout the world. Soy proteins are used in hot dogs, other sausages, whole muscle foods, salamis, pepperoni pizza toppings, meat patties, vegetarian sausages etc. Hobbyist have also discovered that adding some soy protein allowed them to add more water and improved the texture of the sausage. It eliminated shrivelling and made the sausage plumper.
Soy concentrates and isolates are used in sausages, burgers and other meat products. Soy proteins when mixed with ground meat will form a gel upon heating, entrapping liquid and moisture. They increase firmness and juiciness of the product and reduce cooking loss during frying. In addition they enrich the protein content of many products and make them healthier by reducing the amount of saturated fat and cholesterol that otherwise would be present. Soy protein powders are the most commonly added protein to meat products at around 2-3% as the larger amounts may impart a “beany” flavor to the product. They bind water extremely well and cover fat particles with fine emulsion. This prevents fats from lumping together. The sausage will be juicier, plumper and have less shrivelling.
Soy protein concentrate (about 60% protein), is a natural product that contains around 60% protein and retains most of the soybean’s dietary fiber. SPC can bind 4 parts of water. However, soy concentrates do not form the real gel as they contain some of the insoluble fiber that prevents gel formation; they only form a paste. This does not create a problem as the sausage batter will never be emulsified to the extent that the yoghurt or smoothie drinks are. Before processing, soy protein concentrate is re-hydrated at a ratio of 1:3.
Soy protein isolate, is a natural product that contains at least 90% protein and no other ingredients. It is made from de-fatted soy meal by removing most of the fats and carbohydrates. Therefore, soy protein isolate has a very neutral flavour compared to other soy products. As soy protein isolate is more refined, it costs slightly more than soy protein concentrate. Soy protein isolate can bind 5 parts of water. Soy isolates are excellent emulsifiers of fat and their ability to produce the real gel contributes to the increased firmness of the product. Isolates are added to add juiciness, cohesiveness, and viscosity to a variety of meat, seafood, and poultry products.
P.3: Xinrui Group –Ruiqianjia Brand ISP – Good gel and emulsification.
For making quality sausages the recommended mixing ratio is 1 part of soy protein isolate to 3.3 parts of water. SPI is chosen for delicate products that require superior flavor such as yoghurt, cheese, whole muscle foods and healthy drinks. Isolated Soy protein manufactured by Xinrui Group - Shandong Kawah Oils and exported by Guanxian Ruichang Trading usually contains 90% of protein.
P.4: N-GMO –SPI Made by Xinrui Group - Shandong Kawah Oils
The application scope of soy protein in meat products is becoming more and more extensive, because of its good nutritional value and functional properties.
Adding soy protein in meat products can not only improve the product yield, but also improve the taste of the product. Soy protein has good gel property and water retention. When heated over 60℃, the viscosity increases rapidly, when heated to 80-90℃, the gel structure will be smooth, so that soy protein entering into the tissue of meat can improve the taste and quality of meat greatly. Soybean protein has both hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties which can easily combine with water and saturated with oil, so it has good emulsifying feature. This processing characteristic is very important in the processing of meat products with high fat content, which can restrain the lost of fat to stabilize the product quality. Although soy protein plays an important role in meat processing, in order to control soy protein in meat products replacing of whole meat and prevent adulteration, many countries have restrictly addition of it to ensure the healthy development in meat process. In view of the fact that there is no effective method for the determination of soy protein in meat products, it is great significant to study the detection method of soy protein in meat products.
2 Advantages of applying soy protein in meat products
Meat is reagarded as the best source of protein, owing to its high nutritional value and good taste in western countries. In order to make full use of animal resources, meat processing enterprises not only use protein-rich lean meat, but also often use fat-rich chicken skins, fat and other low-value materials. For example, Bologna sausages, Frankfurt sausages, salami and other meat products have relatively high content of fat. For example, Frankfurt sausages has about 30% of the intestine fat content and raw pork intestine fat content of up to 50%. High fat additions make meat processing more difficult. For example, in the production of emulsified sausages with high fat content, it is easy to form the phenomenon of oil. In order to control the oiling phenomenon of sausages in the heating process, it is necessary to add emulsifiers or accessories with the function of water-preserving oil. Usually, meat products as a "emulsifier" is the meat protein, but once the amount of lean meat added is relatively small, fat content is large, the entire emulsification system will lose balance, some fat in the heating process will be isolated. This can be addressed by adding non-meat protein, thus soy protein the best option. In meat processing, there are several other important reasons for adding soy protein. Medical health experts believe that low-fat meat products are healthier, fatty meat products are more likely to cause high blood pressure and other related diseases. Low-fat meat products will become the future development trend of meat products. Developing low-fat meat products is not simply a reduction in fat addition, which also requires a comprehensive consideration of the taste of product. As fat plays an important role in juicy, tissue structure and other aspects of meat products, once reducing the amount of fat, the taste of meat products will be affected.Therefore, in the development of meat products, "fat substitute" is necessary, it can reduce the fat content of the product on the one hand, on the other hand it can ensure the taste of the product. By adding soy protein, not only can reduce the calories of the product, but also can preserve the flavor and taste of the product to the greatest extent. Wheat protein, egg white and soy protein are better fat substitutes, while soy protein is more popular because of its good processing properties. Another reason to add soy protein is that it's much cheaper than meat protein. Adding plant protein can greatly reduce the production cost of meat products. In the actual production, because of the high price of meat protein, in order to improve the cost performance of the product, the low price of soy protein is often the first choice of production enterprises. In addition, in economically backward areas, animal protein is very scarce, soy protein and other plant protein is the most important source of protein. Soybean protein is the most widely used plant protein. Its main advantages lie in: First, smaller peculiar smell; Second, the price is low; Thirdly, high nutritive value ( soybean protein is rich in essential amino acids, and its digestibility and absorption rate are high in human body ) Fourth, excellent processability (better hydration, gelation and emulsification); Fifth, the use of meat products can improve product appearance quality and palatability. Soy protein can be divided into soy protein concentrate, soy texture protein, soy protein isolate and so on according to their components. Each protein product has different functional properties, which are applied to different types of meat products according to different functional properties. For example, soy protein isolate and protein concentrate are mainly used in some emulsified sausages. Compared with soy protein concentrate, soy protein isolate is rich in raffinose and stachyose oligosaccharides, which can easily cause bloating. Tissue proteins are often used in meatballs and pies. In addition, soy protein isolate ( SPi) and soy protein concentrate ( SPc) are often used in some injection-type meat products to improve the hardness, slicing and yield of the products. Because soybean whole flour has strong beany smell and rough taste, Ruiqianjia soy protein isolate and protein concentrate are better than soy whole flour in food processing.
3 Requirements and problems of soy protein applying in meat products
Too muchh addition of soy protein can cause allergies in some groups of people, in order to prevent soy protein being used as pure whole meat in meat process, to prevent adulteration and ensure the healthy development of the meat industry, many countries have strictly restricted the addition amount of soy protein. Some countries have strictly restricted the amount of soy protein added to meat products. In the United States, for example, the amount of soy flour and soy concentrate protein in sausages can not exceed 3. 5%, the addition of soy protein isolate should not exceed 2%; Soy flour, soy protein concentrate and soy isolated protein in beef patties and meatballs should not be over 12%. In salami, many countries have strict restrictions on the amount of addition soy protein, Spain requires less than 1%; French food laws require less than 2 per cent.
The U.S. labeling requirements for soy protein in meat products are as follows:
When the soy protein addition is less than 1/13, it needs to be identified in the ingredients list; When the addition is close to 10%, it should not only be identified in the ingredients list, but also be commented next to the product name; When its content is more than 10%, soy protein is not only identified in the ingredients list, but also in the product attribute name.
Many countries have strict requirements for the addition of soy protein and the marking of meat products. But there is no effective way to detect soy protein. Because current testing of proteins is mainly determined by detecting nitrogen content, plant proteins and meat proteins are difficult to distinguish. In order to further regulate the use of soy protein in meat products, a method to detect plant protein content is needed. In the 1880s, many food scientists studied the detection of soy protein content in meat products. The enzyme-linked immunoassay method is recognized as a more authoritative test, but the standard of the soy protein added is required to use this method. In view of this, there is no effective way to carry out a simple and rapid test of soy protein in meat products. In order to regulate the use of soy protein in meat products, it is important to develop an effective test
4 Summary
Soy protein as a high-quality plant protein comparable to animal protein, containing the human body's 8 essential amino acids, with high nutritional value, meanwhile soy protein has excellent water & oil bonding and excellent gel characteristics, as well as cheap price and other advantages to make it widely used in meat processing. However, some enterprises use soy protein to increase water retention and thus cover up adulteration, in order to sub-charge, damage consumer rights and interests, which should be severely cracked down and controlled. At present, there is no effective detection method for soy protein in meat products, so it is urgent to develop a new test method for the rapid, convenient and accurate discrimination of meat adulteration.
Xinrui group – Shandong Kawah Oils Co., Ltd. Factory direct supply soy isolated protein.
www.xinruigroup.cn / sales@xinruigroup.cn /+8618963597736.
Isolated soy protein is a complete, high-quality, plant-based protein.It is a great solution for meat replacement without compromising quality, nutrition and functionality. Also it is cholesteral-free, low in saturated fat and carbohydrates, which makes it very attractive to health- conscious cousumers. Soy protein now are widely used in meat products such as hot dog, sausages, ham and fish products.
Application: high-temperature meat products, such as hot dog, sausages, ham, meat balls, meat paddies, fish balls, etc.
Characteristics:
- Good water preserving capability to preserve water and gravy of meat products, keep the taste and flavor of meat products; enhance water absorption of baked food, hold water of food, reduce shrinkage and prolong its freshness period.
- Good gel agglutinative property to hold water, flavor and sugar of food by gel texture of protein; give products better elasticity, improve texture and sliceability of products.
- Good emulsification to accelerate the forming of oil-water emulsion, prevent oil droplets from separating, stabilize the emulsion. This can increase the yields of products, reduce costs, and make the preserving capability of water and oil 1:5:5(1 unit of protein can absorb 5 unit of water and 5 unit of oil or fat).
- Good liquidity, high viscosity etc.
Packing: 20kg/bag, Paper-plastic bag with lining
Storage:
- prevent goods from rain and humidity during transportation and storage, forbidden to pack or store with other odorants.
- best temperature for storage is below 25Celsius, keep ventilation and dryness.
- shelf life is 12 months.
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