Have a beef with beef? A burgeoning veggie burger industry is using artificial intelligence to propose alternatives. Swiss group Firmenich, one of the world's leading flavour manufacturers, says recreating the sensation of beef relies not only on flavour, texture and colour, but also on how it responds to cooking and the way it feels in the mouth. "Finding a protein that resembles meat from a vegetable protein is highly complex," Emmanuel Butstraen, head of Firmenich's flavours unit, told AFP at the company's headquarters in Satigny outside Geneva. One of the toughest challenges is avoiding an unpleasant aftertaste.

A Swiss fragrance company is counting on artificial intelligence to help it perfect the plant-based burger. Firmenich, one of the world's leading flavor manufacturers, says recreating the sensation of beef relies not only on flavor, texture and color, but also on how it responds to cooking and the way it feels in the mouth. 'Finding a protein that resembles meat from a vegetable protein is highly complex,' Emmanuel Butstraen, head of Firmenich's flavors unit, told AFP. One of the toughest challenges is avoiding an unpleasant aftertaste--pea proteins tend to release bitterness, which the taste buds are quick to pick up, Butstraen noted. Vegetable proteins can give off hints of green apples or pears, an aftertaste of beans, bitterness or sourness, or even a feeling of dryness, said Jerome Barra, the company's innovation director.