Impossible Whopper spinoff thread

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Impossible Foods Inc. is a company that develops plant-based substitutes for meat products. Founded in 2011, and headquartered in Redwood City, California,[2] the company aims to give people the taste and nutritional benefits of meat without the negative health and environmental impacts associated with livestock products.[3] The company researches animal products at the molecular level, then selects specific proteins and nutrients from plants to recreate the experience and nutrition of specific meat products.[3]

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The company's signature product, the Impossible Burger, was launched in July 2016, after years of research and development. The company also makes a plant-based sausage product that started being tested on pizzas sold by Little Caesars restaurants in May 2019.

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Impossible Foods' scientists discovered that heme is a key factor in how meat behaves.[15] Heme is the molecule that gives blood its red color and helps carry oxygen in living organisms.[16] Heme is abundant in animal muscle tissue and is also found naturally in all living organisms.[17] Plants, particularly nitrogen-fixing plants and legumes, also contain heme.[18] The plant-based heme molecule is identical to the heme molecule found in meat.[19][20]

To produce heme protein from non-animal sources, Impossible Foods selected the leghemoglobin molecule found naturally in the roots of soy plants.[21] To make it in large quantities, the company's scientists genetically engineered a yeast and used a fermentation process very similar to the brewing process used to make some types of beer.[22] In 2014, Impossible Foods declared leghemoglobin is Generally Recognized As Safe after its own testing, which is how the GRAS process works under FDA oversight,[23] and filed updates with the FDA on this issue in 2017 and 2018.[24] The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a "no questions" letter in July 2018, accepting the unanimous conclusion of a panel of food-safety experts that the protein that carries heme is safe to eat.[25] This initial approval was limited to products cooked in restaurants because soy leghemoglobin had needed approval as a new food colorant for uncooked products.[26] An FDA rule change that approves the colorant and allows the sale of Impossible Burgers in grocery stores is expected to take effect on September 4, 2019.[27]

The company said that its scientists created a chemical library of proteins and fats derived from plants and experimented with them as additional ingredients to mimic the texture of meat.[28] To replicate the fat in hamburgers made from cows, Impossible Foods used flecks of coconut fat, which were mixed with ground textured wheat and potato protein.[29] The potato protein provides a firm exterior when the "meat" is seared.[30] The coconut oil stayed solid until heated, when it melted in a similar manner to beef fat.[31]

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