Can YOU spot the real meat? Scientists claim their artificial lamb chops, Wagyu beef, and T-Bone steaks are indistinguishable from genuine cuts
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Although plant-based meat is tipped to save the environment, many offerings look nothing like the real thing. Now, scientists in Israel have created some of the most realistic fake meat products yet – lamb chops, Wagyu beef and T-Bone steaks. Made out of vegetable proteins, their artificial lamb and beef fillets are indistinguishable to genuine cuts, they claim.
![[One photo shows a T-bone steak, while the other shows the researchers' plant-based imposter]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/20/14/94298193-14304517-Although_plant_based_meat_is_tipped_to_save_the_environment_many-a-101_1737384108792.jpg)
Neither lab-grown nor 3D-printed, they're made using a moulding technique that's new to the food industry. Not only are they whole cuts, but they brown and sizzle in the pan just like the real deal. According to the experts, from Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the fake meat is more environmentally friendly than flesh from livestock.
![[One photo shows a wagyu steak, while the other shows the artificial version]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/20/14/94298197-14304517-The_team_used_a_manufacturing_process_called_injection_moulding_-a-97_1737384098600.jpg)
So, do you think you could tell the difference between these real meats and their artificial imposters?. Scroll down for the answers!. One photo shows a lamb chop, while the other shows the researchers' plant-based take on the delicacy - but can you guess which is which?.
![[Study authors Dr Mohammad Ghosheh and Professor Yaakov Nahmias with their injection moulding device]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/20/12/94294085-14304517-image-a-13_1737377409260.jpg)
One photo shows a T-bone steak, while the other shows the researchers' plant-based imposter. 'The escalating global demand for meat products has intensified ecological concerns, underscoring the need for sustainable meat alternatives,' say the experts in their study, published in Nature Communications.
![[The team used a manufacturing process called 'injection moulding', which produces parts by injecting molten material into a mould. This image shows eight manufacturing steps (A), plus four of the steps represented by photos (B)]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/20/12/94293733-14304517-image-a-11_1737377064657.jpg)
'Although current methods effectively imitate ground meat, mimicking whole cuts – which constitute 54 per cent of the global market – remains challenging. 'Our work heralds a new era in sustainable food technology by offering a scalable and economically viable method for producing whole-cut meat analogs.'.
![[Pictured, radar charts showing results from the taste test, with the fake meat indicated by red lines and the real beef with grey lines]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/20/13/94295553-14304517-image-a-29_1737380865080.jpg)
