Spanish Startup Develops 3D-printed Pork Alternative

Spanish food-tech startup Novameat revealed that it had developed a vegan pork alternative with the same texture and appearance as real meat. 

Barcelona-based Novameat uses 3D printing technology to create realistic meat substitutes made from plants. 

Their new meat-free pork contains pea protein isolate, rice protein isolate, extra-virgin olive oil, seaweed extract and beet juice and natural aroma. 

The company has also developed a unique micro-extrusion technology to mimic the texture of meat. 

Last year, Novameat created 3D printed steaks and raised funding to expand. By the end of 2020, the company plans to start selling its products to restaurants and license its technology to bigger plant-based meat producers. 

Novameat’s 3D printed meatless pork prototype comes in the perfect timing. 

The coronavirus pandemic is causing havoc in the meat industry around the world. Meat processing plants are closing due to COVID-19 infections among their workers. The pork industry has also been struggling with the outbreak of African Swine Fever in China. 

Additionally, consumers are opting for meatless options concerned about the link between meat and diseases. 

Novameat CEO Giuseppe Scionti told The Spoon that they decided to create a pork prototype “in a moment of the need for flexibility and adaptability in the proteins market, and seen the global disruption in pork meat supply.”