Iranian Researchers Produce Plant-Based Meat to Increase Food Security in Country

Sadegh Shojaei, the managing director of the technology company said in an interview with local Iranian media that food security is one of the most important issues in the country.

He described the production of plant-based meats as one of the ways to achieve food security, saying, “This type of meat can be based on cells, plants, or mushrooms.”

“The world is moving in a direction where there is no need to kill animals anymore; Because there is the capability to turn animal cells into meat tissue,” Shojaei said.

"For that purpose, animal cells are grown in laboratory conditions, and this has made it effective in reducing water consumption, reducing the spread of pollution and killing animals."

“In laboratory conditions, it is possible to produce meat that has the exact combination, savory and smell of animal meat. Producing meat in this way has many advantages, including that it has lower cholesterol and lower fat, while people who consume this type of synthetic meat get the same amount of protein as they did from animal meat,” the managing director of the company said.

“Moreover, there is also the possibility of personalization in plant-based meat, meaning that this meat in the form of sausages, nugget and hamburgers can be produced for different people with different diseases based on their needs,” continued Shojaei.

Shojaei said that the plant-based meat produced in their company is based based on purified protein isolates from various plants such as soybeans, beans, chickpeas, oats and mung beans, which contain 85 to 90% protein.

“These foodstuffs are not only not harmful to the body, but their daily consumption will help keep the body healthy,” he stressed.

“Protein isolates based on beans and peas are used in the production of the plant-based meat, which will soon enter the country's market,” Shojaei concluded.

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