I wonder how this kind of burger compares to lab-grown burgers. I would imagine this process is significantly cheaper than lab-grown – in which case, why don't we just replace all burgers with this?
The major problem with lab-grown burgers is that cell culture is quite difficult and expensive to do at even small scale. There are obviously efforts to radically decrease those costs, but some things are going to be quite hard to do cheaply and at large scale. For example, on their own, cells have zero defense against invading bacteria/fungus. And yet they're being grown in high-nutrient media where any bacteria wou…
Impossible Foods says it is close to finishing a large-scale production facility
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Re: Impossible Foods says it is close to finishing a large-scale production facility
#12> wheat, coconut oil, potatoes, and heme
Replacing meat for carbs is not a great idea.
Edit: I was wrong. 200cal only have 6g of carbs which is pretty good IMO.
Re: Impossible Foods says it is close to finishing a large-scale production facility
#13Does anyone know how the nutritional content compares? For me, the fact that I can cook a 300g burger that, after trimmings, is 1000+ calories is a big deal. Also the massive amounts of fat and protein, and the low carb profile. All these things make burgers a great meal choice for me (taste matters too obviously).
If these fake burgers are cheaper, have similar macros and calorie density, and are better for the environment, I am super interested.
Re: Impossible Foods says it is close to finishing a large-scale production facility
#14I tried it. It tastes good because of the heme, but it tastes wheaty otherwise. I think most people would like it, but not going for gluten-free recipe seems shortsighted
Re: Impossible Foods says it is close to finishing a large-scale production facility
#15> wheat, coconut oil, potatoes, and heme Replacing meat for carbs is not a great idea. Edit: I was wrong. 200cal only have 6g of carbs which is pretty good IMO.
I suspect by wheat they mean the gluten part.
Re: Impossible Foods says it is close to finishing a large-scale production facility
#16> wheat, coconut oil, potatoes, and heme Replacing meat for carbs is not a great idea. Edit: I was wrong. 200cal only have 6g of carbs which is pretty good IMO.
What if animal fats are too heavy for your personal digestive system and you aren't obsessed with your BMI?
Re: Impossible Foods says it is close to finishing a large-scale production facility
#17Does anyone know how the nutritional content compares? For me, the fact that I can cook a 300g burger that, after trimmings, is 1000+ calories is a big deal. Also the massive amounts of fat and protein, and the low carb profile. All these things make burgers a great meal choice for me (taste matters too obviously). If these fake burgers are cheaper, have similar macros and calorie density, and are better for the envi…
Why is density important. Is cooking a 500g veggie burger that much more effort? (Its not, especially since you don't need it to be properly cooked)
Re: Impossible Foods says it is close to finishing a large-scale production facility
#18Does anyone know how the nutritional content compares? For me, the fact that I can cook a 300g burger that, after trimmings, is 1000+ calories is a big deal. Also the massive amounts of fat and protein, and the low carb profile. All these things make burgers a great meal choice for me (taste matters too obviously). If these fake burgers are cheaper, have similar macros and calorie density, and are better for the envi…
See http://www.impossiblefoods.com/images/faq/nutrition-facts.pn...
Their competitor Beyond meat has also the following comparison: http://beyondmeat.com/media/img/home/weigh-in.jpg
Re: Impossible Foods says it is close to finishing a large-scale production facility
#19Earlier quoted context omitted.
> in which case, why don't we just replace all burgers with this? That's the beauty of capitalism. "We" don't have to do anything, if it's cheaper people will buy it and the replacement will happen automatically.
Not to nitpick, because I agree with your point, but that's the beauty of _economics_, not capitalism. Non-capitalistic economies (e.g. socialism) also optimize for high-yield products that require minimal labor, the difference being who owns the means of production (i.e. factories): the workers, the consumers, private shareholders, the state, etc.
If you're looking at it purely in terms of nutrition. But taste? Socialism doesn't measure the actual utility given by goods. Capitalism does by virtue of us spending our money according to what we like.
Re: Impossible Foods says it is close to finishing a large-scale production facility
#20Earlier quoted context omitted.
The major problem with lab-grown burgers is that cell culture is quite difficult and expensive to do at even small scale. There are obviously efforts to radically decrease those costs, but some things are going to be quite hard to do cheaply and at large scale. For example, on their own, cells have zero defense against invading bacteria/fungus. And yet they're being grown in high-nutrient media where any bacteria wou…
http://www.sciencealert.com/lab-grown-burger-patty-cost-drop...
Yup, the relevant part of that article:
"Post and his team are now working on replacing the serum [fetal calf serum] with something that doesn’t rely on animal products, and told the ABC that while they’re making great process, it’ll be at least a couple of decades before they can scale the technique up and make it commercially viable."
If you're using fetal calf serum (FCS), you're definitely not particularly vegetarian, nor are you reducing the need for physical cows. Let's assume you can eventually get rid of that requirement though.
Cost estimates for something that is quote "decades" away isn't quite meaningful. The hard part is scale, and it sounds like they're quite aware of that problem.
Finally, $11 per burger is still insanely expensive. I can get a burger, with bun, cooked and handed to me on a platter for $1 at McDonald's. It's an enormous challenge to get lab grown meat down to an industrially relevant cost.
I'd still bet on Impossible Foods's approach.