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The Color-Developing Methods for Cultivated Meat and Meat Analogues: A Mini-Review

Summary

This review examines how scientists are improving the color of lab-grown and plant-based meat to make them look more like traditional meat. Both natural ingredients like beet juice and paprika, as well as specialized cooking techniques, can help achieve the desired red meat color. The research shows that combining multiple coloring methods works better than using a single ingredient, and natural colorants are becoming preferred over synthetic dyes due to health concerns.

Background

Novel meat products including cell-cultivated meat and meat analogues offer environmental and ethical benefits but face consumer hesitancy due to appearance differences from conventional meat. Color is a critical sensorial characteristic influencing purchasing decisions. Improving color characteristics through colorants and color-inducing methods could enhance product acceptability and marketability.

Objective

This mini-review examines recent color-developing methods and colorants used to improve the appearance of cultivated meat and meat analogues to match conventional meat characteristics. The review focuses on both synthetic and natural colorants, as well as innovative color-inducing techniques for these novel foods.

Results

Research identified multiple color-inducing methods including natural pigments (paprika, beet, monascus, tomato), synthetic colorants (Carmoisine, Ponceau, Allura Red), and innovative techniques (ohmic cooking, jackfruit scaffolds, genetic engineering). Natural pigments dominated commercial products. Studies showed that combinations of multiple pigments better mimicked meat color than single colorants, with specific optimal concentrations identified for various applications.

Conclusion

Natural colorants are preferred over synthetic alternatives for novel meat products due to safety perception and regulatory advantages. Combining multiple color-inducing strategies including pigments, cooking methods, and fat replacers provides the most effective approach to achieving conventional meat-like appearance. Future development should prioritize consumer-relevant sensorial characteristics alongside coloration improvements.
  • Published in:Food Science of Animal Resources,
  • Study Type:Mini-Review,
  • Source: PMID: 38764512, DOI: 10.5851/kosfa.2024.e14
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