Redefine Meat: meat substitute from the 3D printer

Vegans and vegetarians who don’t want to stop enjoying meat can try out alternative products. But can plant-based meat substitutes do more than just look like meat? Can consistency, structure and flavour be a match for conventional meat? Yes, they can. At least that’s what the founders of Redefine Meat say.

Redefine Meat: meat substitute from the 3D printer

What´s it all about?

  • More and more restaurateurs are turning to meat substitutes
  • What’s special about the meat substitute from Redefine Meat?
  • 3D printer as a new meat producer
  • Meat alternatives free from animal products

From kebab skewers to courgette patties, everything at Hans-Kebab is homemade. But owners Volkan Alkan and Cihan Anadologlu consciously decided not to make one product themselves: the vegan meat substitute. ‘We use the lamb meat substitute from Redefine Meat,’ reports Alkan.

And it’s really well received by guests at the Munich kebab shop. The restaurateur tells us that demand is so high that the product regularly sells out. Besides the aroma, Alkan says it’s all about the preparation. ‘We can prepare and fry the patties in 15 minutes, just as quickly as real meat without any further seasoning – and they taste just the same.’

And this is precisely the goal of Israeli company Redefine Meat. ‘We developed the ‘New Meat’ product line especially for the needs of restaurateurs. This allows restaurateurs to offer the delicious taste of meat to all restaurant guests – whether they adhere to vegan, halal or kosher diets. In our case, that taste is plant-based,’ explains Ulrich Strünck, Commercial Director for the DACH region at Redefine Meat. Max Peters from Bearclaw Restaurant in Hamburg confirms the suitability of plant-based products for the hospitality industry. ‘We use the beef mince from Redefine Meat for our burger patties.’ The product is popular with his guests too – even those who usually eat meat are positively surprised. ‘Personally, I don’t think it tastes identical to meat. But the flavour is very similar so the products are a good substitute,’ says the Hamburg restaurateur.

Redefine Meat - Deceptively real meat to enjoy
© Redefine Meat (all pictures)
Deceptively real meat to enjoy
Meat substitute from Redefine Meat: vegan and 3D-printed
A plant-based meat substitute that tastes like real meat? Absolutely

The 3D printer as a new meat producer

From pulled pork products to beef fillet, burger patties to pork sausage – all eleven meat alternatives are vegan, and some are halal and kosher. Alongside the ingredients, nutritional values and allergens, each product shows precisely which diets it is suitable for. To achieve an authentic meat flavour, Redefine Meat develops and optimises the products in collaboration with top international chefs and meat experts. Then the 3D printer comes into play. Special machines print several layers of threadlike structures on top of one another to generate a consistency similar to that of regular meat. The print material is a mix of plant-based proteins, fats, colourings and flavourings. It’s pressed out from the ‘ink cartridges’ through three nozzles. Each nozzle contains a different mix of substances that imitate muscle fibres, fatty tissue and blood, so as to come as close as possible to the composition of meat. Because it’s not only flavour but also consistency that plays a crucial role in meat substitutes. The aim is that it resembles animal meat, both when you cut it with a knife and when you bite into it.

Redefine Meat at METRO

Alongside a wide selection of meat, METRO also offers substitute products and is likewise developing its own alternatives. One example is the vegan mince from own brand METRO Chef . Brands like Redefine Meat are also available in some locations. Leading the way here are the German METRO wholesale stores in Düsseldorf, Krefeld and Neuss. Others stores will follow.
More about meat-free alternatives at METRO: www.metro.de/produktwelten/fleischloser-genuss

Meat alternatives free from animal products

Redefine Meat came onto the market in 2018 with one meat alternative. Why? The founders of the company considered that conventional livestock farming was inefficient and ecologically unsustainable in terms of providing food for the world’s growing population. ‘We want to make a difference with our products,’ explains Commercial Director Strünck. ‘We know that many people like to eat meat. It tastes good, is available everywhere and is deeply rooted in our traditions. This is why our society needs plant-based innovations that taste just as good as conventional meat – and are simultaneously good for the environment and animal friendly.’

Redefine meat
A Ladle

A ladle of … steak from the 3D printer

3 questions for Redefine Meat, an Israeli start-up that produces "meat" from plant-based raw materials using a 3D printer.

Innovation

The growing appetite for 3D-printed food

The trend towards plant-based meat or fish continues. Besides Redefine Meat, other companies are also offering 3D-printed substitute products. Catalan start-up Nova Meat also produces a plant-based meat substitute using a 3D printer. Unlike Redefine Meat, Nova Meat uses just one nozzle for the printing process – an advantage that makes it simpler so the printer can work more quickly. In China, biotech company CellX is likewise focusing on the production of 3D-printed pork, as the demand for it on the Chinese market is huge. The company’s goal is to achieve the same price as for conventional pork by 2025. Conversely, Austrian company Revo Foods produces fish rather than meat with its 3D printer. The company manufactures plant-based vegan salmon, which – thanks to a newly developed printing technology – is already suitable for mass production.

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