This New Meat Substitute Isn’t Made From Plants or Created in a Lab: It Comes From an Unknown Sea Creature

Traditional meat burgers are facing new competition. This time, it’s not a plant-based alternative, a combination of vegetables and mushrooms, or even lab-grown meat. So, what’s this new contender? Interestingly, it could be categorized as processed seafood.

A new alternative. A few years ago, Norwegian company Pronofa ASA embarked on a unique venture by acquiring Marine Taste. The aim was to focus on transforming lesser-known underwater animals into an alternative protein source for meat. Two years after the acquisition, the Scandinavian company continues to innovate, developing products including hamburger “meat.”

Ciona. Pronofa ASA’s most recent proposal as a meat substitute is ciona, a marine animal. These tube-shaped creatures live attached to rocks on the ocean floor, similar to sponges and corals. However, the taxonomy of these sea squirts is a bit different.

Tunicates (Tunicata) are one of the two subphyla under the phylum chordate (Chordata). The other subphylum are vertebrates. As bizarre as this may sound, this means that tunicates are more closely related to fish and mammals than they are to crustaceans and mollusks.

Sustainable and nutritious. Pronofa ASA is involved in farming a species of ciona native to the North Sea. According to the company, aquaculture of these animals offers several advantages. For instance, they can feed solely on plankton and are capable of absorbing excess nitrogen from the water.

Excess nitrogen from terrestrial crops poses a significant threat to various aquatic ecosystems. The cultivation of ciona in areas with high nitrogen levels can help “filter” this surplus, which, according to Pronofa ASA, contributes to bigger biodiversity.

From a nutrition standpoint, products derived from ciona are being introduced as an alternative source of protein and nutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids.

What about the taste? Those who have tried these products report that their flavor is similar to meat. Pronofa CEO Hans Petter Olsen told The Guardian that the main challenge in developing these substitutes was to eliminate the “seafood-like” taste. Ciona naturally has a texture comparable to that of calamari, and its flavor is reminiscent of seafood.

Experimenting. It’s important to note that these derivatives can’t be considered a vegetarian alternative, so they may not appeal to all consumers. In the end, they represent a new option to consider in the competitive market of conventional meat substitutes. However, we’ll have to wait before we see ciona-derived products available in supermarkets and restaurants.

Image | Erik Odiin

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