Wheat Gluten As A Meat Substitute

The use of wheat gluten as a meat substitute has dated back throughout the Asian history. Much like tofu, wheat gluten has been used mostly in Japan and China as a healthy alternative to meat, especially for devout Buddhists in China who do not eat meat. In the United States, the uses of wheat gluten as a meat substitute have been less obvious, but they definitely exist and are on the rise.

In the US, food processing processes are under constant change and refinement. Improve health and reduce costs - those are always the top goals of any processed food manufacturer. Wheat gluten provides a vital role in this process because of its use as a meat substitute. In processed foods, the manufacturer is always looking to use inexpensive filler products wherever possible to reduce costs while not compromising the taste of the food. Wheat gluten has a naturally elastic and fibrous consistency which makes for a great meat substitute and it's healthy properties mean that manufacturers don't have to sacrifice on quality. You can be sure that this practice will not only continue, but continue to grow in popularity as well. This increased meat substitute usage will also drive higher quality wheat gluten to be produced without fear of contamination issues in production facilities throughout the US and overseas as well.

Wheat gluten as a meat substitute is not as universal as say tofu, but it has many uses. One of which is as a pork substitute that is used for "faux" lunch meats and pulled pork sandwiches. Wheat gluten is largely responsible for the layers that often found in restaurant style faux meats and especially in vegetarian style sandwiches or smoked meat sandwiches. Wheat gluten is a natural high protein substitute, and many bakeries use it in their breads to give them an improved texture and doughy quality. It can also be purchased as a flour that you can add to your own bread making recipes for the same benefit, and, of course, the flour can be used to make seitan, a meat substitute. However, the uses of wheat gluten as a meat substitute are not only intended for us humans. In fact there is huge market evolving in the use of gluten within the pet food industry as well. This is particularly important because the tolerance for contamination in the pet food industry is much more lenient than it is for human food. So lower grade or contaminated wheat gluten is often times repurposed into this pet food industry. In time this practice will likely become further monitored as well as Americans won't want to see sub-quality contaminated materials being fed to their trusty dog, but currently this is a very common practice.

As you can see, the usage of wheat gluten as a meat substitute is fairly prevalent in our society even though many are completely unaware of it. This will not only continue, but will be expanded as well. There have been some setbacks due to contamination issues, but those hurdles will continue to be lowered and the use of wheat gluten as a meat substitute in both human and animal foods will certainly continue to grow.