The Difference Between Impossible Burger 1.0 And 2.0
At one point, the Impossible Burger was made from wheat proteins. Like most plant-based meat substitutes, the Impossible Burger 1.0 depended on gluten to give it a fibrous and chewy texture similar to that of real beef. However, as of February 2019, the company released the Impossible Burger 2.0, which is completely gluten-free. This new formula allowed people with gluten sensitivity and Celiac Disease to enjoy their vegan burgers, and also had some remarkable upgrades in terms of flavor and texture.
The Impossible Burger 2.0 is made with a blend of soy protein and potato protein, which are common sources of vegan protein. Although soy has at times been charged with adding excess estrogen to the body and as a result causing breast cancer in women and infertility in men, those negative myths have been debunked. The bottom line is that dietary soy has protective or neutral effects on breast cancer and no effects on male fertility. Rather soy protein is a great source of fiber, quality protein, and vitamins, which is why it's used in the Impossible Burger formula. However, what sets apart the Impossible Burger 2.0 from other vegan burgers is its hyper-realistic appearance and flavor.
The Impossible Burger 2.0 looks and tastes like real meat
Impossible Foods did the impossible and added heme to the burger to make it taste and look like real beef. Heme is a component found in all living organisms which carries iron in hemoglobin. It gives blood its metallic note, which is necessary for making a vegan burger taste as close to the real thing as possible. By genetically engineering yeast with soy-derived heme, Impossible Foods added the meaty essence of real beef to its plant-based patty. The burger itself is pink and can actually "bleed" that red liquid mixture of heme and oils.
As for texture, you'll find that when you cook the Impossible Burger 2.0, it's as juicy as a beef burger. In fact, it's so close to the real thing that it deters some vegans and vegetarians from consuming it. The first Impossible Burger had an accurate meat flavor but it was a bit too dry to be compared to real beef patties. As such, the founder of Impossible Foods wanted to create a vegan burger that would appeal to both vegetarians and omnivores. The addition of methylcellulose, which is a plant-based binder found in creams and sauces, gave the Impossible Burger 2.0 the texture and moisture of real ground beef patties.