Look out SPAM, there’s a new composite meat product in town. It is going to give the canned classic a run for its money because unlike SPAM, consumers can’t actually visually distinguish composite meat product from real meat.
Sounds good, I’ll have that! The European Union recently voted to approve the use of a “meat glue” enzyme. Made of thrombin (a coagulant protein) and fibrin (a fibrous protein) from the blood of pigs or cows, the enzyme literally glues together separate pieces of meat by duplicating the natural way muscles are bonded together.
There is no danger in eating what they will have to label as “composite meat product” other than not actually knowing what you’re eating. It may look like filet mignon but just be leftover bits and pieces of beef. The composite meat product can even combine different types of proteins from different animals. The worry is that consumers will get duped; for example, paying for steak when they’re actually getting beef bits with some turkey thrown in and meat glued together.
Sweden, one of the countries who approved the use of the enzyme, is receiving heavy criticism. The Swedish Consumers’ Association has cited the dishonesty and the capability of composite meat product to fool consumers, in their criticism of the enzyme. Many believe that using thrombin will present the meat as better than it really is.
Not that we’re unfamiliar with this type of product. Anyone who has enjoyed imitation crab or a McNugget has eaten “meat” that has undergone a similar process called transglutaminase.
The thrombin-glued meat is prohibited from commercial kitchens in the EU, most likely due to how easily restaurants could pass it off to patrons as expensive cuts. But you can still enjoy a similar concoction at any fast-food joint near you. What did you think that hamburger was made from? You can even find it in your local supermarket. Wherever you see "meat" for sale that has a list of ingredients on the back, you can be sure it’s been meat-glued (although not with thrombin…yet).
In my research I stumbled across a US counterpart called Fibrimex; coming soon to a dinner plate near you.
Source: BecauseAction.com
