In recent years, super cheap steaks have appeared on major e-commerce websites, 89 yuan and 10 pieces, which is less than ten yuan.
Not to mention the cheapness, you can also send sauces, butter, knives and forks, and even a frying pan when you place an order!
Image source: e-commerce platform
This steak sells hundreds of thousands of dollars a month. Caused many netizens to discuss that these cheap steaks are "glue sticky" and "spliced meat"...
Image source: Zhihu
In fact, this kind of steak, which is understood as glue, has a more formal name - synthetic steak (also known as recombinant steak, spliced steak).
This kind of "synthetic steak" on the packaging, the process will generally be marked "raw meat cut", "whole cut conditioning", etc., the ingredient list is also a long string. In the original cut beef, only beef is added to the ingredients.
But if it is concluded that the "synthetic steak" is not a real steak, it is too wronged.
Synthetic steak,
It has nothing to do with glue
Glue is not as powerful as it is.
Synthetic steak is actually the use of loose and ground beef from different parts of the beef with food additives such as "glutamine transaminases" and "carrageenan" for adhesion and recombination, and then split them. Although some ingredients have "glue" in their names, they have nothing to do with the daily glue half a cent
Image source: Stand Cool Helo
As long as these food additives are used in accordance with national norms, they will not cause harm to the human body.
Let's take the more widely used "glutamine transaminases" in the synthetic steak industry.
Glutamine transaminases can cross-link proteins in different parts of beef and are ideal food binders.
After eating the stomach, it is broken down into amino acids, which are not harmful to our body. moreover...... This enzyme itself exists in our bodies, and we really don't have to be afraid
In addition to steak, it is also found in many meat products. For example, the meatloaf, fried chicken nuggets, ham, fish sausages, etc. in hamburgers that everyone often eats may be produced through its "bonding".
But why synthetic beef,
Can it sell so cheaply?
This principle is actually very simple. Because the meat is not so perfect, it is not so popular in the market.
In the beef industry, where the meat is relatively better, it is cut as completely as possible and sold as a "raw cut steak". The remaining crushed and loose beef left over from the production process is not so sought-after because of its different sizes and poor appearance.
In this way, supply exceeds demand. The price of loose ground beef is one heaven and one underground compared to other more "noble" parts...
But in fact, if the meat itself is no problem, everyone can eat it with confidence.
The advent of synthetic steaks has undoubtedly changed the entire beef industry. The otherwise unpopular loose ground beef is used effectively to avoid waste.
With low costs and low selling prices, steaks have become "grounded" and become the choice of more consumers. Overall, it's a good thing.
The nutrition of synthetic steaks
No worse than the original cut steak
Although the price of "original cut steak" and "synthetic steak" varies greatly, the difference in nutrients between the two is not large.
The most valuable nutrient that beef can bring to the human body is protein. The protein content of different parts of the meat on the cattle is basically in the range of 16 to 22 grams per 100 grams.
We found a nutritional ingredient list of synthetic steaks on the e-commerce website, and we can see that the protein content per 100 grams is 18.9 grams.
Comparing the 17.4 grams per 100 grams of protein content of the higher-end "upper brain steak" of beef, we found little difference.
Of course, the institute also found that most of the ingredients of synthetic steaks will add "soy protein", the purpose of the addition is mainly to increase the water retention of beef, making it more juicy; in addition, to increase the protein content. But soy protein itself is a high-quality protein, which is also helpful for the human body.
And comparing the price difference between the two, this is also acceptable!
Today's content comes from the "Lilac Life Institute".
They will use their expertise to help you avoid the routines and pitfalls in life, and use every expenditure on health in the right place.
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This article is co-authored by experts
Gao Bowen
Practitioners in the food safety testing industry
This article is reviewed by experts
Qian Cheng
Food R&D Engineer
M.A. in Food Processing Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology
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Curator: JellyMi | Executive Producer: Emma
Cover image source: Stand Cool Helo