Yemoja, a marine ingredient start-up, has announced the development of a red microalgae formulation for plant-based burgers and steaks that adds authentic “bloody” juiciness. Branded Ounje, meaning "food" in the Yoruba language, the formulation mimics the red juices of meat the need for artificial colour additives.
The company says the marine ingredient, when combined with other derivatives from this same Porphyridium strain of algae, can provide a nutrient packed medium for rendering the sensory characteristics of juicy meats for plant-based meat and cultured meat products.
The company operates an indoor system for cultivating pure and standardised microalgae bio-compounds for the nutraceutical and cosmetics B2B sectors. The company claims its platform system allows the manipulation of light, temperature, and pH to yield high concentrations of desired bioactive compounds with minimal ecologic footprint and without contaminants, using minimal resources, sharply reducing waste.
The deep red algae is grown indoors in photobioreactors and has the potential to serve as a plant-sourced heme substitute for the cultured and plant-based alt meat sectors.
“While working on a new formulation for cosmetic applications, we serendipitously discovered that this specific composition yields a substance that resembles blood in appearance and texture,” said Amikam Bar-Gil, PhD, co-founder and CTO of Yemoja. “Encouraged by the first test results, we decided to push the boundaries further and take it to the next level, trying it out in test products. The results were an immediate proof of concept.”
This product niche currently sees widespread use of beetroot juice and other colour additives, which can help provide the desired colour effect but cannot change colour in the manner that meat does when cooked.
The start-up’s microalgal substitute not only provides the initial red pigment to raw plant-based meats, it also browns when cooked. Moreover, it also congeals like real meat juices. “We found the polysaccharides within this particular algae species express a viscosity similar to gelatin when cooked. Its natural fibre also awards an appealing crunchiness and emits an appetising meaty aroma.”
Beyond the visual and textural meat-like appeal that the algae provides, it can also add to a product's nutritional profile, containing a 20-30% protein load as well as a complete amino acid profile.
