Ham, beef and chicken substitutes on the market

Quorn is the trade name of an edible fungus: mycoprotein. This new protein-rich food developed in the UK can be made to taste like beef, chicken or ham. Although it is not a product of the latest biotechniques and does not involve genetic manipulation, Quorn is a product which makes use of modern technology as it is produced on a continuous fermenter. Large sheets of mycoprotein are subject to a mechanical process which makes it become quite fluid. It can then be folded and extruded until it acquires the fibrous structure and texture of the food it must represent. Chicken, beef or ham flavour is added and it is then sliced or shredded into pieces. In the coming months, customers of a major supermarket in the UK will see this new product on sale. However, many problems have yet to be solved. First of all, Quorn is only slightly less expensive than comparable meat products and the present manufacturing capacity can only supply the demand of about one hundred shops. Nevertheless, factory- produced Quorn meat of plant origin could become a useful product for regions where protein sources are scarceQuorn is the trade name of an edible fungus: mycoprotein. This new protein-rich food developed in the UK can be made to taste like beef, chicken or ham. Although it is not a product of the latest biotechniques and does not involve genetic..