Fermented Onions Could Make Plant-Based Meats “Meatier”

Plant-based meats have a variety of benefits. They are more environmentally friendly than animal products, provide plentiful sources of protein, and are produced without suffering. However, companies often struggle to replicate the smell and taste of meat without synthetic additives. Fortunately, a recent study has shown that there may be a natural solution that could impart the desired flavor. Fermented onions and other alliums, such as leeks and chives, may be able to help impart the desired flavor. 

The synthetic products that are frequently used to make meat alternatives often cannot be labeled as “natural”. To create the flavoring compounds, manufacturers of alternative meat products will add artificially derived precursor ingredients that are found in meats. The process of creating “natural” flavoring agents would require that they be extracted from plants or biochemically engineered. To avoid this process, the researchers in the study hoped to see whether fungi could create meaty flavors from vegetables and spices, rather than from synthetic sources. These natural flavorings could then be added to plant-based meats.

After looking into various vegetable sources, the research found that only alliums generated the desired aromas. The best results were yielded by fermenting an onion for 18 hours with the fungus Polyporus umbellatus. This process resulted in a product that had a scent similar to liver sausage. 

The reason that fermented alliums can generate meaty scents is due to the presence of flavor and odor chemicals that are also found in meats. Bis(2-methyl-3-furyl) disulfide was one of the chemicals identified. Additionally, the researchers believe that alliums’ high sulfur content yields meaty flavors. This research could one day be used by alternative meat manufacturers to create “natural” products that have a “meaty” taste and scent. Doing so could help convince a wider array of people to reduce, or eliminate, eating meat. Reducing the demand for animal products through a switch to plant-based meats would have a significant beneficial environmental impact, and help alleviate mass animal cruelty perpetrated by the factory farming system.

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