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So What is Vegan Chicken or Mock Meat?
Are you trying to go vegetarian this year? But can’t get rid of your desires for non-vegetarian foods? Therefore, vegetarian meat solves all of your troubles. You may acquire vegetarian meat manufacture from animal replacements. In a violence-free manner with the almost taste, texture, and aroma. These vegetarian meat substitutes provide you with all of the nutrients of non-vegetarian diets.
Vegan meat is also known by different names such as “plant meat”, “meat substitute”, “imitation meat” “alternate meat” or “mock meat”. Sometimes vegan meat refers to as “fake meat” or “faux meat”.
Generally, vegan meat makes from soy, gluten, and pea protein products. As the worldwide demand for a sustainable plant diet grows in reaction to the immense role. That consumption of animal products plays in global warming and other environmental concerns. Thus, companies discovering meat replacements have sprung up.
However, the motive for hunting out fake meats. On the other hand, it depends on the consumer group, their choice & demand. So the marketplace for meat substitutes is heavily reliant on people who are “meat-reducers.” That’s why consumer groups drive mostly by health concerns & weight loss. Issues about animal welfare and environmentalist are more likely to be the main motivators for vegan consumers.
How Mock Meat is Made or Processed?
Due to its high striking resemblance to actual meat. Hardly you can tell the difference when it comes to vegan meat.
But how do they make a vegetarian version of it?
A variety of nutritional elements employing in the process. Including proteins from plant sources, soy, potato, pea, mung bean & also rice protein. Because these nutrients mix with each other. Thus give the vegan meat the optimal meaty texture and juiciness.
Steps For Producing Vegan Chicken

Although the majority of meat analogues on the market are made with soy protein extracts, soy flour, and gluten as a base. Therefore, the isolate of soy protein is a highly purified variant of soy protein containing at least 9% protein in concentration.
Dehulling Process
Since the “dehulling”, or you can say “decortication”, of the soybean seeds is the first step in extracting the protein. After that, treat the seeds with chemical solvents like “hexane” to extract the oil. Next, pour the oil-free soybean in water. Now, in the alkalization process, the protein breaks down while keeping out the carbs behind.
Alkalization
Afterward, treat the alkaline solution with acidic chemicals to form a precipitate from the protein. Then wash it & leave it to dry out. Because removing fats and carbohydrates, from the product is rather close to neutral flavor.
Often soy protein refers to a complete set of proteins. Since it comprises all the important amino acids. Essential for human growth as well as psychological development.
Synthesization
Mixing lipids in the vegan meat in the form of synthesized fluid or “semi-liquid glyceride shortening”, or additional sources from plants. Although the glycerides have a tendency to constitute a long chain of unsaturated or saturated acyl radicals. Generally with carbon atoms varying from approx 12 to 22.
Typically, lipids from plant sources such as soybean, olive & canola oil are useful on the basis of target vegan meat consumers. Though lipids don’t really contribute to the equivalent structure of the meat. Yet they are critical in boosting the “acceptable to taste” ability. And also widening the food product’s appeal to a wider section of consumers.
Flavoring compounds, pigmenting agents, leavening agents, and emulsifiers are examples of food additives. Sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO₃) is a raising agent (for foaming action) often useful in baking goods such as bread, pancakes & waffle.
During manufacturing, NaHCO3 produces CO2 resulting in the expansion & unilateral straining of the protein chain during manufacturing. To make vegan meat processing stable, use a number of emulsifiers. ” Polyglycerol monoesters” in fatty acids, “monoacylglycerol esters” in dicarboxylic acids, “sucrose monoesters” of fatty acids & phospholipids are examples of the emulsifiers.
Polyglycerol monoesters consist of 2 to 10 glycerol units. And therefore, 1 acyl fatty acid group per glycerol component on average. The polymer develops from fatty acid esterification processes & has 14 to 16 carbons per polyglycerol molecule.
Thus, the formation of sucrose monoesters by esterifying sucrose with a fatty acid ester or a fatty acid. Ideally with a fatty acyl group ranging from 14 to 18 carbon atoms. Finally, phospholipids like “lecithin”, “cephalin”, and “sphingomyelin” can function as emulsifiers. During the process of extrusion, a few of the emulsifier also acts as lubricating agent.
How Mock Meat Gets its Taste, Texture and Aroma??
Soy has a texture that is similar to chicken or mutton, but the key concern is how to replicate the taste. Yeast extract is commonly useful in providing the precise taste of chicken.
Because yeast extract has a savory essence, it’s a good choice for vegetarian chicken. Ingredients such as onion, garlic, salt, and pepper are helpful in enhancing the flavor. While sugar contributes to the dark color of the meat.
Extract from beetroot is also useful in several vegan meat producers to give the meat the appropriate color. Coconut, sunflower, and canola oils, thus add fat to meat substitutes.
Also Read: Vegan Milk vs. Cow Milk: Know the Difference
How Healthy is the Vegan Chicken?
Most nutrients make the cut when it comes to duplicating non-vegetarian foods. Vegan alternatives make it healthier by lowering cholesterol and sodium levels, plenty in non-animal diets. They also include plant protein and soy to compensate for the deficiency of protein in vegan food.
We can’t ignore the fact that vegetarian meat is a groundbreaking creation in the food industry. It’s really a terrific option if you want to avoid non-vegetarian food. But cannot stop yourself from the desire to eat them. Because vegan meat has an identical flavor, texture, and aroma as that of non-vegetarian meat.
Although plant meats develop from plants products which are primarily soybeans, pea, and wheat protein. Since these ingredients are useful in heavy processing. Commonly chemical preservatives, oils, naturally or artificially pigmenting agents, sweeteners, and seasonings help in reducing the main ingredients to high-protein, low-fiber, colorless powders.
The vegetarian burger consists of around 630 calories. Whereas the beef burger has 660 calories. The fat content of the Impossible Whopper is comparable to that of a meat burger. Excessive saturated or Trans fat in your diet intake can raise your blood pressure and cholesterol level, increasing your risk of disease.
Saturated fat is still prevalent in plant foods, but it is significantly less than in animal meat in general. Plant meats have a good amount of fiber and protein, which is not quite often found in animal meat.
Moreover, while both the vegan and non-vegan have nearly the same amount of fat which is around 35 and 40 gms respectively, the plant-based burger version has 1,240 mg of salt compared to 980 mg in the beef burger.
Popular Vegan Chicken Companies in India
There are many meat companies in India which have launched the vegetarian meat alternative and are doing quite well in the market.
“Ahimsa Food” is a Delhi-based frozen food brand established in 2008. The brand offers vegetarian alternatives to fish, mutton, chicken, hot dogs, salami and even Nawabi kebabs.
“The Vegan Eatery” is a Udaipur-based company that provides wraps, burgers, starters and full course meals which are made with vegetarian meat.
“Vegeta Gold” provides vegetarian alternatives to fish, mutton, and chicken, with their main ingredients being soya and textured vegetable proteins.
“Vezlay” is another vegan food company which in Delhi that offers a wide variety of vegan kebabs that are high in nutritional value, flavor, and exotic aroma.