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Onions n' fungus could make fake meat smell meatier

By Ben Coxworth
September 06, 2023
Onions n' fungus could make fake meat smell meatier
Onions and other members of the Allium family (such as chives and leeks) are high in sulfur, as are some odorants which are naturally present in meat
Onions and other members of the Allium family (such as chives and leeks) are high in sulfur, as are some odorants which are naturally present in meat
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Onions and other members of the Allium family (such as chives and leeks) are high in sulfur, as are some odorants which are naturally present in meat
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Onions and other members of the Allium family (such as chives and leeks) are high in sulfur, as are some odorants which are naturally present in meat

The aroma of food plays a huge role in its perceived flavor, and unfortunately many plant-based meat alternatives don't smell much like real meat. That could be about to change, though, thanks to fungus and onions.

Currently, some plant-based meat alternative products contain "flavor precursor" chemicals that produce a meaty favor when cooked. Due to the fact that these chemicals are produced via synthetic processes, however, foods containing them can't be labelled as "natural" in many countries.

Certain fungi have previously been shown to produce a meaty flavor, but they've had to be combined with synthetic ingredients in order to do so. Led by researcher YanYan Zhang, a team of scientists at Germany's University of Hohenheim set out to see if those ingredients could be replaced with vegetables.

After experimenting with different combinations of various fungi and veggies, the best results came when onions were fermented with Polyporus umbellatus fungus for 18 hours. The aroma was described as "a fatty and meaty scent similar to liver sausage."

When gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to identify the odorants which were produced, five of them were found to be ones that are largely responsible for different flavors in meats. This is no coincidence, as both onions and those odorants are naturally high in sulfur.

More research still needs to be conducted, but it is hoped that the team's findings could ultimately be used to produce more palatable all-natural meat alternatives. A paper on the study was recently published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Source: American Chemical Society

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ScienceUniversity of HohenheimPlantsAmerican Chemical SocietyFood technology
8 comments
Ben Coxworth
Ben Coxworth
Based out of Edmonton, Canada, Ben Coxworth has been writing for New Atlas since 2009 and is presently Managing Editor for North America. An experienced freelance writer, he previously obtained an English BA from the University of Saskatchewan, then spent over 20 years working in various markets as a television reporter, producer and news videographer. Ben is particularly interested in scientific innovation, human-powered transportation, and the marine environment.

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8 comments
Rusty
I'd rather eat the meat straight from my butcher, than anything grown in a lab.
Eggbones
@Rusty I'd prefer the quality controlled environment of a lab to the random antibiotics, growth hormones, cysts, etc. that animal-based meat contains, but to each their own.
Bob809
I do not, nor will I ever, figure out why people who do not want to eat meat (for whatever reasons), need or want it to smell or taste like meat. Surely the whole idea of 'fake meat' is that it is not meat. For example, why would a vegan or even a vegetarian want their plant or insect based product to actualy taste like something they clearly despise?
I don't like cheese, yet most people love cheese. I used to eat it when I was younger, I even made goats cheese. I do not want anything I eat to taste like cheese, why on earth would I. So I apply the same logic to, why do people who eat fake meat want it to taste like real meat?
Eggbones
@Bob809 most vegans don't despise meat, they simply choose not to participate in an industry that's fundamentally cruel to animals.

As for dressing food up as something it isn't, next time you have a steak, think about how it would taste if you didn't mask it with plants such as pepper, onion, garlic, tomato, parsley, truffle, mushrooms, etc. No, I'm not a vegan - flexitarian at best.
Bob809
Eggbones- I do not eat veggies, or anything else you listed, but the steak. I am a veggie dodger, as well as being an old codger. I have my meat well done, I can't stand seeing what is in my opinion an improperly cooked meat offering -Steak, Pork, Chicken etc. I can appreciate that most vegans do not despise meat, however, I still don't get why those producing it or the people wanting fake meat, for it to taste like real meat. The move, mentally, has surely been taken to get away from meat, to distance themselves from it. Be that because of the crap that governments force farmers to put into the meat, or because of the cruelty. The only things I have with a steak for example would be gravy, chips, mushy peas/or beans, mashed potato. I also have a dislike for rice and pasta products, and I don't miss these foods, that I used to eat. I am not lobbying, nor do I see companys trying to make meat versions of veggies. But I get what you're saying.
Trylon
@Bob809, you have a severe case of tunnel vision. Meat alternatives aren't targeted at the vegetarians and vegans that you dismiss. It's primarily for omnivores who like meat but for whatever reason would prefer alternatives to slaughtering livestock. Environmental, health or moral. If you want to stay with your paleo diet, that's fine, but most people aren't "you'll have to take my steak knife from my cold, dead hand" extremists like you.
Catweazle
They can have my fillet steak (rare) and smoked bacon sandwich when they pry them from my cold, dead hands.
We are forever being exhorted to eschew highly processed food, how highly processed is fake meat made from commercial chemicals in laboratories?
Eggbones
@Bob809 I like the taste of meat, but I can't enjoy it when I inevitably allow myself to consider that an animal lived a short, unpleasant life to end up on my plate. It's pretty much that simple for me.