Food tech company Future Farm has launched a new plant-based fish substitute dubbed ‘Future Tvna’ across 487 Coles stores.
Using an AI-led tech called True Texture, the company has used fundamental elements of a food molecule to replicate the texture, tenderness and aesthetic production of meat.
The 100 per cent plant-based blend combines soy, bean, and chickpea protein into flaky chunks to replicate real fish and meat fibres. Fatty acids present in traditional fish meat are also in the plant-based ingredients.
To enhance flavour, the brand has included olive oil, microalgae oil and radish into the mix. It is gluten-free, GMO-free, and hormone-free with no artificial preservatives and retails for $6.50.
Future Farm founder, Marcos Leta, said Future Tvna is the brand’s first ready-to-eat, non-frozen fish. “It’s so similar to the real thing that in some markets it is sold next to regular canned tuna.”
Leta added the team will keep working with technology and products to the point where people won’t be able to recognise what’s animal and what’s of plant origin.
“Future Tvna might just represent our most innovative product yet, not only for the product look and feel, but for what it fights for in sustainability, biodiversity, and dismantling any preconceived ideas that plant-based diets lack protein, essential nutrients, or delicious products,” said Lisa Asher, Future Farm’s Pacific GM.
According to Food and Agriculture Organisation, Tuna is one of the most-consumed fish in the world and is also an endangered species.
