3D Printed Beef Made From Beans and Algae Has Real Meaty Texture
It's a food that many people know and love, but now steak has a very modern update.
Nova Meat has created a plant-based steak made from beans and algae, but with the same fibrous texture as real beef thanks to 3D printing technology.
The startup unveiled its meat alternative at Mobile World Congress this week, where Mirror Online obtained a sample of the printing process.
The basic mixture is made from rice, beans and algae, and is fed into a 3D printer.
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During printing, the microfibers in the paste align like the muscle fibers in real beef.
This alignment gives the steaks a real beefy texture, even though they have no meat at all.
The printing process takes about 3 minutes, during which layers of the mixture are carefully printed in the shape of a steak.
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During a test print, Giuseppe Scionti, founder of Nova Meat, printed a piece of steak, before putting it on a hot grill.
Surprisingly, this steak behaved just like real beef, quickly turning a deep brown color.
When the steak was done, Scionti cut it in half, and inside there was a distinct fibrous texture of the meat.
Nova Meat hopes that this plant-based steak will encourage more people to cut down on the amount of meat they eat.
