German researchers receive price for developing new vegetarian protein-source

[DetlefK]

This is sort of breaking news, so I only found articles in german.
http://www.dw.de/deutscher-zukunftspreis-f%C3%BCr-die-lupine/a-18074555
Here's an older press-release in english:
http://www.fraunhofer.de/en/press/research-news/2012/march/vegetarian-cutlet.html

The lupine bean is extremely rich in protein, but not very popular due to its grassy taste. However farmers like it because growing lupine alternatingly with grains allows the ground to restore its nitrogen- and phosphorus-levels.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lupin_bean

The scientists filtered the unwanted aromas by first squeezing the beans and then washing them with supercritical carbondioxide, removing the oil and most of the aromas. (The oil can be refined into salad-oil.) Then they mix it with water and separate fibers from proteins. (The fibers can be added to grain-products.) The product is a near-tasteless flour-like protein-powder.

When the protein-powder is mixed with water and boiled and cooled in a particular process, the proteins form fibers which give the dough a chewy structure similar to meat.

I've seen a video where they fried a slice of the dough in a pan: It looked a little bit like tofu and a little bit like a piece of chicken-meat that had already been fried before they put it in the pan.


Photo from the 2-year-old press-release:

[IMG][/IMG]

[eppur_se_muova]

1. Interesting.

But then you've got to deal with this guy ...

http://www.montypython.net/scripts/dennism.php

[byronius]

2. Making me hungry...

Delicious-looking.

[hunter]

3. Replacing "factory farm" meat would be awesome.

I wonder if this stuff could be fish flavored, for vegetarian "fish" & chips?

The article you posted says they are currently producing 200-300 tons of the protein a year which is being used to produce a sort of ice cream. If anyone has seen how dairy cattle are raised in many places, this is a good thing too.

_{http://www.dw.de/deutscher-zukunftspreis-f%C3%BCr-die-lupine/a-18074555}

[True Blue Door]

4. Meat is murder, so science does a great service seeking to replace it.

I personally have never liked either the smell or the taste, so I lose nothing by being vegetarian.