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The ingredient that makes one popular plant-based burger 'bleed' and taste meaty is an iron-carrying molecule brewed by engineered yeast, not taken from any animal.

What is this meaty-flavored, iron-containing molecule called?

Heme
Soy leghemoglobin, rich in heme, is produced by precision fermentation in yeast. Heme drives the savory aromas of cooked meat, which is why it makes plant burgers taste and even sizzle like beef.

Heme is the iron-carrying molecule that makes this plant-based burger 'bleed' and taste meaty, and it is brewed by engineered yeast through fermentation rather than extracted from any animal. Heme naturally drives many of the savory aromas and reddish color associated with cooked meat, so adding it to a plant-based patty helps replicate both the flavor and appearance of real beef.

Gluten is a protein found in wheat that gives dough its stretchy, chewy texture, unrelated to the iron-rich compound responsible for meaty flavor and color. Collagen is a structural protein found in animal connective tissue and skin, playing no role in the browning and savory taste that heme provides.

The specific heme used in this burger, called soy leghemoglobin, is produced through precision fermentation in yeast, the same broad family of technology being used elsewhere to brew animal-free dairy proteins and other lab-grown food ingredients.

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