{"id":10973,"date":"2024-11-15T20:27:45","date_gmt":"2024-11-15T20:27:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/?p=10973"},"modified":"2024-11-15T20:27:47","modified_gmt":"2024-11-15T20:27:47","slug":"stanford-engineers-use-ai-to-bridge-texture-gap-in-plant-based-meats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/stanford-engineers-use-ai-to-bridge-texture-gap-in-plant-based-meats\/","title":{"rendered":"Stanford Engineers Use AI to Bridge Texture Gap in Plant-Based Meats"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-blockquote uagb-block-e7eb3fc3 uagb-blockquote__skin-border uagb-blockquote__stack-img-none\"><blockquote class=\"uagb-blockquote\"><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__content\">Stanford engineers leverage AI and mechanical testing to bridge the texture gap for better plant-based alternatives, potentially paving the way for a sustainable gastronomic future.<\/div><footer><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__author-wrap uagb-blockquote__author-at-left\"><\/div><\/footer><\/blockquote><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-content-justification-space-between is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-0dfbf163 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div style=\"font-size:16px;\" class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-post-author\"><div class=\"wp-block-post-author__content\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-author__name\">The University Network<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share uagb-social-share__outer-wrap uagb-social-share__layout-horizontal uagb-block-ee584a31\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-ec619ce7\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"facebook\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M504 256C504 119 393 8 256 8S8 119 8 256c0 123.8 90.69 226.4 209.3 245V327.7h-63V256h63v-54.64c0-62.15 37-96.48 93.67-96.48 27.14 0 55.52 4.84 55.52 4.84v61h-31.28c-30.8 0-40.41 19.12-40.41 38.73V256h68.78l-11 71.69h-57.78V501C413.3 482.4 504 379.8 504 256z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-32d99934\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"twitter\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M389.2 48h70.6L305.6 224.2 487 464H345L233.7 318.6 106.5 464H35.8L200.7 275.5 26.8 48H172.4L272.9 180.9 389.2 48zM364.4 421.8h39.1L151.1 88h-42L364.4 421.8z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-1d136f14\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"linkedin\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M416 32H31.9C14.3 32 0 46.5 0 64.3v383.4C0 465.5 14.3 480 31.9 480H416c17.6 0 32-14.5 32-32.3V64.3c0-17.8-14.4-32.3-32-32.3zM135.4 416H69V202.2h66.5V416zm-33.2-243c-21.3 0-38.5-17.3-38.5-38.5S80.9 96 102.2 96c21.2 0 38.5 17.3 38.5 38.5 0 21.3-17.2 38.5-38.5 38.5zm282.1 243h-66.4V312c0-24.8-.5-56.7-34.5-56.7-34.6 0-39.9 27-39.9 54.9V416h-66.4V202.2h63.7v29.2h.9c8.9-16.8 30.6-34.5 62.9-34.5 67.2 0 79.7 44.3 79.7 101.9V416z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a breakthrough study that could revolutionize the future of plant-based diets, Stanford University engineers have combined mechanical testing with machine learning to more accurately replicate the texture of animal meats in plant-based alternatives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The findings, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41538-024-00330-6\" title=\"\">published<\/a> in the journal npj Science of Food, suggest that such methods can expedite the development of plant-based meats that closely mimic their animal counterparts, promising to make plant-based diets more appealing to devoted meat-eaters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe were surprised to find that today\u2019s plant-based products can reproduce the whole texture spectrum of animal meats,\u201d senior author Ellen Kuhl, a professor of mechanical engineering at Stanford, said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/news.stanford.edu\/stories\/2024\/11\/can-ai-help-improve-plant-based-meats\" title=\"\">news release<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The environmental benefits of reducing our reliance on animal meats are well-documented. Industrial animal agriculture is a significant contributor to climate change, pollution and habitat loss, among other issues. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to one study, plant-based meats generally have half the environmental impact of animal meats. Yet, persuading die-hard meat lovers to switch remains a challenge. About a third of Americans, in one survey, indicated they were \u201cvery likely\u201d or \u201cextremely likely\u201d to buy plant-based alternatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cPeople love meat. If we want to convince the hardcore meat eaters that alternatives are worth trying, the closer we can mimic animal meat with plant-based products, the more likely people might be open to trying something new,\u201d lead author Skyler St. Pierre, a doctoral student in mechanical engineering, said in the news release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Revolutionizing Food Texture Testing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Historically, food texture testing methods have been inconsistent and often not shared with the broader scientific community, limiting collaboration and innovation. This is where the Stanford team\u2019s approach stands apart. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The research, which began as a class project by St. Pierre, involved analyzing the mechanical properties of both animal and plant-based hot dogs, sausages, turkey and tofu. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The researchers used a machine to pull, push and shear the samples \u2014 actions that simulate chewing \u2014 and processed the data through a newly designed neural network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;These three loading modes represent what you do when you chew,&#8221; Kuhl added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The results were compelling. The mechanical tests showed that plant-based hot dogs and sausages behaved similarly to their animal counterparts in terms of stiffness and texture, findings that were echoed by human testers in a subsequent survey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Data-Driven Future for Plant-Based Innovation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhat\u2019s really cool is that the ranking of the people was almost identical to the ranking of the machine,\u201d added Kuhl. \u201cThat\u2019s great because now we can use the machine to have a quantitative, very reproducible test.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This convergence suggests that machine learning can play a crucial role in advancing plant-based meat development. The Stanford team envisions using AI to generate recipes for plant-based meats with precisely desired properties, reducing the trial-and-error phase typical in food science.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The potential impact of this research extends beyond the lab. By sharing their data online, the team hopes to foster greater scientific collaboration and accelerate innovation in the field of plant-based foods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHistorically, some researchers, and especially companies, don\u2019t share their data and that\u2019s a really big barrier to innovation,\u201d St. Pierre added. Without a shared database and collaborative efforts, though, \u201chow are we going to come up with a steak mimic together?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The project is ongoing, with new tests already being performed on veggie and meat deli slices, and plans to assess engineered fungi developed by Vayu Hill-Maini, an assistant professor of bioengineering at Stanford. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIf anybody has an artificial or a plant-based meat they want to test,\u201d Kuhl said, \u201cwe\u2019re so happy to test it to see how it stacks up.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a breakthrough study that could revolutionize the future of plant-based diets, Stanford University engineers have combined mechanical testing with machine learning to more accurately replicate the texture of animal meats in plant-based alternatives. The findings, published in the journal npj Science of Food, suggest that such methods can expedite the development of plant-based meats [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"single-no-separators","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10973","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ai","category-sustainability"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"The University Network","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/author\/funky_junkie\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"In a breakthrough study that could revolutionize the future of plant-based diets, Stanford University engineers have combined mechanical testing with machine learning to more accurately replicate the texture of animal meats in plant-based alternatives. The findings, published in the journal npj Science of Food, suggest that such methods can expedite the development of plant-based meats&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10973","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10973"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10973\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10987,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10973\/revisions\/10987"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10973"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10973"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10973"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}