Photo: Supplied
An AgResearch scientist is aiming to develop a traditional Japanese product with a unique New Zealand twist.
Dr Renyu Zhang is the winner of the Meat Industry Association's inaugural Dragon's Den competition - set up to challenge Kiwis to develop ground-breaking ideas to advance the red meat processing industry.
Zhang said he hopes to develop a unique New Zealand flavoured dried meat flake that can be used as a seasoning, snack or meal ingredient, similar to traditional Japanese product Katsuobushi, which is dried tuna flakes with umami flavour.
"We have exciting opportunities to turn low-value streams from the meat industry into high-value, uniquely Kiwi products that can strengthen our global presence and add to our unique Kiwi taste profile. I look forward to working with industry partners to bring this vision to life," he said.
"I think that's a beauty of New Zealand because we bring in multiple cultures... we're bringing different kind of thinking ...immigrants - they're bringing their unique background and also thinking into how can we make something to contribute to make New Zealand unique products for supplying to the rest of the world."
Zhang's proposal for the high-value flake would use meat from mechanically-deboned meat (MDM) which is normally sold as a by-product and worth only a few dollars a kilogram.
Zhang said New Zealand has the right facilities to produce a dried product.
He doesn't have an answer for the special Kiwi flavour but has some ideas as he started thinking about the unique New Zealand taste journey many years ago.
He said a Google search said a New Zealand flavour was tomato sauce but "we can do better than that".
"We probably can use our native plants when it is seasoning. Or can we develop a unique process to generate the defined flavour. Unique to New Zealand. .... we can define that flavour and turn it into a New Zealand product that stands out.
"We have our own IP, so the rest of the world they can cannot easily mimic or copy our product. So (the meat flakes) will make our New Zealand industry stay strong and become a strong competitor to the rest of the rest of the world," he said.
Like the Japanese Katsuobushi, the meat flakes will have the umami (sweet sour) factor and various options will be tested on trial taste panellists.
Zhang said it could take a couple of years to develop the meat flake and the Dragon's Den $10,000 prize will help develop the concept.
The other finalists were:
- Spray Chill Optimisation: Using machine learning to train spray chillers and optimise automated processing of carcasses. The project was led by Frank Phillips from Fulcrum NZ Ltd and supported by his colleagues Kev O'Reilly and Paul Nalder.
- Nutrient Enriched Meat: A mix of meat and organs to produce foods for the elderly, athletes and women into consumer friendly formats. It was led by Carolina Realini from AgResearch.
- Mycellium enhanced Hybrid Meat: Mixing meat with mushroom mycelium, using dairy byproducts to produce a hybrid product rich in dietary fibre and with reduced fat and cholesterol. Led by Maya Tangestani from Mara Bio.
- AI Mapping of Organ Meats: Using AI to design novel nutritional products, high in nutrients and low in production costs. Based on hyperspec mapping of organs. Led by Christine Tash and Yash Dixit of AgResearch Limited.
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