Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi has created a plant-based ‘egg’. This plant-based egg has almost the same taste and texture as well as the same protein level. Moreover, the procedure of cooking this egg is just similar to that of real eggs. This vegetarian product is similar in taste to the original and is created inside labs as an ‘environment-friendly’ healthy alternative. This vegan egg is made with lentils and with the goodness of moong (split green gram). It is a cleaner source of protein; the egg, for instance, has zero cholesterol and is gluten-free. There is no risk of animal-based diseases, such as bird flu, and the concept prevents cruelty on animals as well.
The team of researchers headed by Kavya Dashora, assistant professor at the Centre for Rural Development and Technology, IIT-Delhi, expressed her views about this new innovation, “Most people who want to switch to vegetarian food stick to meat because of its taste and protein value. We have taken care of both the aspects, using normal farm produce. For the vegan egg, we have used protein isolation technology and extrusion technology for meat.” This environment friendly research has been funded by Rahul Dewan from Four Pursuits Ventures. He expressed his views on how animal slaughter has turned out to be the biggest reasons for greenhouse emission. He further added that “These vegan alternatives would be a much healthier alternative to animal based meat and eggs. As the production of these meats are based on farm produce, the team will work closely with the farmers to get the best of produce. This will further support the Government’s initiative to increase the income of farmers.” In a nutshell, it will be interesting to see how vegan eggs and mock meats can influence the dietary patterns of masses and create an environment friendly market.
