Israeli Startup ‘Redefines’ Plant-Based Meat with 90% Less Saturated Fat

Israeli 3D-printed meat maker Redefine Meat has introduced a new product line with dramatic reductions in saturated fat and methylcellulose use.

To capture Europeans’ interest in the category, Redefine Meat has unveiled a new class of plant-based meat products centred on enhanced nutrition and flavour.

Among the first of its next-generation products are a reformulated burger and beef mince, which feature improvements in saturated fat content, protein levels, and taste and texture.

The move aims to address evolving consumer preferences in terms of nutrition and sensory appeal, and dissatisfaction with the current crop of meat analogues, which have suffered from poor sales as ultra-processing concerns come to the fore.

“With our next-generation products, we’re now able to offer the premium-quality taste our customers enjoy, while delivering the nutritional values sought after by health-conscious audiences,” said Eshchar Ben-Shitrit, co-founder and CEO of Redefine Meat.

New products outperform previous iterations on taste and nutrition

One of the best-known plant-based companies, Redefine Meat markets its 3D-printed products as New Meat, with a diverse range of beef, pork and lamb alternatives in formats like pulled, mince, sausages, burgers, and whole cuts. Endorsed by Michelin-starred chefs like Marco Pierre White, they can be found at over 4,000 foodservice locations in 10 countries, plus retailers in several European markets.

The new burger and mince products build on this existing portfolio, and now fulfil the nutritional requirements for a Nutri-Score rating of A, the highest possible score. They join its beef flank, pulled pork and pulled beef SKUs in meeting that standard.

Redefine Meat achieved this through an 80-90% decrease in saturated fats compared to the previous iteration of the 3D-printed burger and beef mince, an increase in protein per 100g (from 11g to 14-16g), and a reduction in methylcellulose content to less than 2%.

Additionally, the company says it has unlocked a “new quality benchmark” for taste and texture with an even meatier profile, a conclusion derived from collaboration and sensory tasting with meat experts, chefs, and consumers.

Redefine Meat’s products undergo a patented additive manufacturing process – more commonly known as 3D printing – which helps it better replicate the taste of meat and texture of animal muscle fibres. The process disintegrates textured vegetable protein into fibres and blends them with a dough made from soy or pea protein isolates.

Plus, it uses AI and machine learning to optimise its products, allowing it to prototype, test and commercialise new products significantly faster than existing production processes, the company explained.

Redefine Meat hopes to allay taste and UPF doubts

“Our unique taste-first approach is at the heart of all product development, understanding that taste continues to be the biggest barrier to repeat buying for many flexitarians and meat lovers,” said Ben-Shitrit.

“While many other plant-based products continue to fall short in this area, our next-generation products build upon our premium-quality legacy to deliver an even meatier taste approved by our chef partners and rigorous consumer testing.”

Indeed, polling shows that while some consumers in Germany and the UK are reducing their meat intake due to shifting taste preferences, animal proteins are still much higher on the flavour scale. Hitting the right tasting notes is critical: a survey of 7,800 Europeans last year revealed that taste is the most important factor when it comes to their daily food choices, cited by 87% of respondents.

The new products are being rolled out at retailers in the Netherlands, Germany and France, continuing Redefine Meat’s efforts to expand across Europe. For Veganuary this year, it signed deals with more than 30 companies in the UK, where its foodservice sales nearly doubled in 2024.

While plant-based meat enjoyed an increase in sales in Germany and France last year, the same couldn’t be said of the UK and Netherlands, where consumers have flocked to whole-food proteins and are choosing mince and strips over burgers, respectively.

Many consumers perceive plant-based meat as overly processed and as a result, unhealthy, though experts have warned that the level of processing doesn’t define how nutritious a product is, and studies have shown that these products match animal-derived meat on protein, while providing far more fibre and less saturated fat.

Touching upon this discourse, Ben-Shitrit said: “While misinformation around ultra-processed foods (UPFs) continues to spread, it’s important to understand the difference between good and bad UPFs. It’s clear that crisps or chocolate bars are not the same as our products, which deliver high levels of protein, vitamins and fibre, without cholesterol.”

He added: “We recognise that nutrition is playing an increasingly important role in consumer buying habits. With our next-generation products, we’re now able to offer the premium-quality taste our customers enjoy, while delivering the nutritional values sought after by health-conscious audiences.”