How AI can make a veggie burger taste meaty by suggesting flavour combinations human experts might not think of

Vegetable proteins can mimic the texture of meat but have a fruity or beany aftertaste. Flavour scientists use AI to help give such products a meaty taste

Artificial intelligence can mine a database of flavours – like ‘a piano with 5,000 keys’ – to suggest combinations that mimic the taste of, say, barbecued meat

Reading Time:2 minutes

A vegetal burger at the headquarters of Swiss group Firmenich. Aromatics experts can call on a vast digital library of ingredients to come up with the perfect, beef-like flavour to make a veggie burger taste just like real deal. Photo: AFP

Published: 8:15pm, 18 Jul 2021Updated: 8:15pm, 18 Jul 2021

Have a beef with beef? A burgeoning veggie burger industry is using artificial intelligence to propose alternatives.

Swiss group Firmenich, one of the world’s leading flavour manufacturers, says recreating the sensation of beef relies not only on flavour, texture and colour, but also on how it responds to cooking and the way it feels in the mouth.

“Finding a protein that resembles meat from a vegetable protein is highly complex,” says Emmanuel Butstraen, head of Firmenich’s flavours unit, at the company’s headquarters in Satigny outside Geneva.

One of the toughest challenges is avoiding an unpleasant aftertaste. Pea proteins tend to release bitterness, which the taste buds are quick to pick up, Butstraen says.

Vials containing flavours at the headquarters of Swiss group Firmenich. Photo: AFP

Vegetable proteins can give off hints of green apples or pears, an aftertaste of beans, astringency or even a feeling of dryness, says Jerome Barra, the company’s innovation director. To mask these flavours or compensate for them with other tastes, the aromatics experts can call on a vast library of ingredients.