Demolish Foods has launched its Gen4 platform, an updated version of its plant-based meat manufacturing system designed to replicate the structure and texture of conventional whole cuts. The platform builds on the company’s previous Gen3 model and offers improvements in precision, scalability, and cost-efficiency.
Whole-cut alternatives remain a challenge in the alternative protein sector, where most plant-based products have focused on ground or shredded formats. The Gen4 platform seeks to address this gap by replicating the hierarchical structure of animal muscle tissue, including variations in texture and juiciness within a single cut. The technology allows for the recreation of complex structures found in conventional meat, such as the combination of major and minor pectoral muscles in a chicken breast.
Engineering realistic muscle fibers
According to Demolish Foods, Gen4 achieves a higher level of realism in plant-based whole cuts by engineering muscle fibers down to the tens of microns, a scale that the human mouth can perceive. The platform also incorporates “thermal transitioning” properties to mimic how meat releases juices and changes texture when cooked.
The company states that Gen4 has received certification for commercial manufacturing, sale, and export. The production system can generate both chilled and frozen whole cuts, including a flagship plant-based chicken breast that is gluten-free, non-GMO, and made with eight ingredients. Its nutritional profile is designed to align with conventional meat in terms of protein, fat, sodium, and calories.
Operational advancements in Gen4 include a sixfold increase in production throughput compared to Gen3, a 35% reduction in operational costs, and ingredient flexibility to enhance supply chain resilience. These improvements are intended to support large-scale production while maintaining product quality.
Protein chaining and precision structuring
Demolish Foods has developed a proprietary “protein chaining” technology to construct plant-based muscle fibers without the use of heat, preserving protein integrity. Additionally, a “precision structuring” process allows for the formation of hierarchical muscle layers, including connective tissues and fats with varying properties.
Beyond plant-based options, the company has also produced an early prototype of a cultivated chicken hybrid, where plant-based muscle fibers are combined with chicken fibroblast cells.
