The Impossible Burger is a meatless burger patty that has become widely available in recent years. The vegan food option was created by the company Impossible Foods and has been distributed by fast food restaurants like Burger King and White Castle. Its popularity may be due to the fact that many view it as a better alternative to beef burgers, both for the health of the people that consume it and the health of the environment.
Impossible Foods claims that its burger manages to be made with plant products without causing erosion or the release of stored carbon dioxide from soil. This is because the Impossible Burger is made using genetic engineering techniques.
Two Special Ingredients
Impossible Foods uses two genetically engineered ingredients in their burgers: heme from soybean plants and soy protein. In soybean plants, heme is carried by a protein called soy leghemoglobin. The heme itself is responsible for carrying iron. Heme is present in most living organisms and just so happens to be the molecule that is responsible for giving meat its appearance and taste. Because of this, the DNA sequence that is responsible for soy leghemoglobin was able to be used by Impossible Foods to make its burger look, taste, and even “bleed” like real meat. Soy protein, as the name suggests, is a protein found in soybeans. It is commonly used as a healthier substitute for animal protein as it has no cholesterol and is low in saturated fats.
The Genetic Engineering
To produce heme, Impossible Foods takes the DNA sequence that codes for soy leghemoglobin and inserts it into yeast. The yeast is fermented, heme is produced, and heme is used as an ingredient in the Impossible Burger. Soy protein, on the other hand, is simply sourced from other companies that work with genetically modified soybean plants. The soybeans that these companies extract the soy protein from are most likely genetically engineered to be resistant to herbicides as are most soybean plants in the United States.
The Health Concerns
As the Impossible Burger is made using genetically modified organism ingredients, or GMO ingredients, some individuals and organizations have raised concerns about its possible impact on health. One reason that the Center for Food Safety, a non-profit advocacy organization, is skeptical about the burger is that they claim that GMO heme has never been eaten before. A large percentage of the American population also views food with GMO ingredients as less healthy than other foods. However, the United States Food and Drug Administration has deemed Impossible Foods’ products, including the Impossible Burger, as safe to be sold in supermarkets across the country.
