A genetically modified soybean that tastes and smells like meat – researchers in the USA have succeeded in producing it. Now cultivation of the bean is allowed in the USA, reports Science Radio.
– We can make more sustainable, climate-friendly and cheaper animal protein, says the researcher to the radio channel.
The American company Molec has succeeded in producing a genetically modified soybean that should smell and taste like meat. This is reported by Vetenskapsradion.
Pig soybean which is slightly pink in color can produce a protein found in pigs. The pig protein then in turn produces a substance that makes the meat red, i.e. the so-called myoglobin.
– The common soybean is efficient at producing protein, but lacks some of the properties that animal protein has, says the Dutch researcher and biochemist, Henk Hoogenkamp, to the radio channel.
Climate-friendly and cheap
The researchers themselves have not yet tasted the bean but predict it will taste like meat.
When asked why they insert myoglobin and modify the soybean, Hoogenkamp replies that many people think meat tastes good.
So the point is to let the soybean produce animal protein so that it tastes more like meat. Something that can lead to a more sustainable and climate-friendly production.
– We can make more sustainable, climate-friendly and cheaper animal protein, because we don’t need to feed animals with soybeans to get an animal protein.