Ingredient Definitions

Soy Protein Concentrate:

Soy protein concentrate is about 70% soy protein and is basically defatted soy flour without the water-soluble carbohydrates. It is made by removing part of the carbohydrates (soluble sugars) from dehulled and defatted soybeans. Soy protein concentrate retains most of the fiber of the original soybean.

Note: Protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score (PDCAAS) or, in a simpler statement Net Protein Utilization (NPU) Is the percentage of protein our body’s absorb versus the amount it consumes. Example: If a human consumes 100 grams of protein and absorbs 60 grams the PDCAAS or NPU score is 60. When we consume 100 grams of meat protein our bodies absorb 100 grams of meat protein. When we consume 100 grams of soy protein our bodies absorb 100 grams soy protein. When we consume 100 grams of pea protein our bodies absorb 65 grams of it and pea protein cost more than soy protein.

Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health:

“Straight Talk About Soy: The Takeaway: Soy is a unique food that is widely studied for its estrogenic and anti-estrogenic effects on the body. Studies may seem to present conflicting conclusions about soy, but this is largely due to the wide variation in how soy is studied. Results of recent population studies suggest that soy has either a beneficial or neutral effect on various health conditions. Soy is a nutrient-dense source of protein that can safely be consumed several times a week, and probably more often, and is likely to provide health benefits—especially when eaten as an alternative to red and processed meat.”

Straight Talk About Soy: The Takeaway: Soy is a unique food that is widely studied for its estrogenic and anti-estrogenic effects on the body. Studies may seem to present conflicting conclusions about soy, but this is largely due to the wide variation in how soy is studied. Results of recent population studies suggest that soy has either a beneficial or neutral effect on various health conditions. Soy is a nutrient-dense source of protein that can safely be consumed several times a week, and probably more often, and is likely to provide health benefits—especially when eaten as an alternative to red and processed meat.

Wheat Gluten:

Although it's not technically flour, vital wheat gluten is a high protein flour (70% protein)-like powder that contains nearly all gluten protein and minimal starch. It's made by hydrating wheat flour, which activates the gluten protein, and it is then processed to remove everything but the gluten.

Vegetarian Chicken Type Flavor:

• Dextrin : Starches are mostly found in plants, specifically many of our staple foods like potatoes, corn, and rice, and are created as a source of energy. They are the most common form of carbohydrates found in most human diets. Hydrolysis is a process that uses water to break down molecules into smaller molecules. So basically, you take a long strain of sugars (a starch) and break it down by adding water, and the smaller resulting strains are known as dextrins. Human studies in which indigestible dextrin was taken together with meals confirmed that it suppresses the rise of blood sugar after eating. As do many other starch-based ingredients, dextrins have useful thickening properties, which means they help bind ingredients together in food and prevent them from dispersing .
• Autolyzed Yeast Extract : is a food ingredient or additive that comes as a liquid, paste, powder, or in a granular state. It is used as a flavoring agent or enhancer, and as a firming agent. It comes from yeast that has been specially treated. It is produced by allowing the peptide bonds of the proteins in the yeast to hydrolyze. This is done by one of two different methods. Edible yeast (cells) are heated under tightly controlled conditions to a temperature that causes proteolytic enzymes already present in the yeast to “digest” the proteins, and break their bonds, producing different peptides and amino acids . During this process, destruction of the cell walls occur. Brewer’s yeast or baker’s yeast may be used for this process. A yeast “cream” is slowly heated to 55° C. and then is pasteurized at 70° C to deactivate the enzymes and to kill any living cells. All proteins are made up of amino acids, and one amino acid of interest—glutamic acid—is present in autolyzed yeast extract, as well as in many other foods and in our bodies. Glutamate is a form of glutamic acid and is responsible for “umami,” the savory taste associated with foods like meat and mushrooms.
• Disodium Inosinate : Is produced from fermented tapioca starch without any animal products involved in the production for plant based foods. It is usually made from fermented tapioca starch, though it can also be derived from yeast, mushrooms, and seaweed.

· It’s effect in the body is as a flavor enhancer helping to increase the intensity of salt so that less of it. Additionally, it's usually paired with MSG. Together, these compounds work to create umami, a fifth basic taste that's described as savory or meaty.Mar 23, 2020

• Disodium Guanylate: It is the organic disodium salt of guanylic acid. It may be listed as “ yeast extract” or “natural flavors” in an ingredient list. It is a mononucleotide composed of guanine, a phosphate group, and a pentose sugar ribose. Guanylic acid is a natural acid, which is part of RNA, one of the genetic carrier molecules in the cell. It is a nucleotide consisting of guanine , ribose sugar or deoxyribose sugar, and a phosphate group.

Guanine is a compound that occurs in vegetables that include cauliflower, spinach, mushrooms, and animal/seafood. THE PLANT BASED VERSION IS USED IN plant based flavors. It is one of the four constituent bases of nucleic acids. Guanine is a derivative of purine. Vegetables that have high purine content include cauliflower, spinach, and mushrooms. Disodium guanylate is used as a flavor enhancer. It helps increase the intensity of salt so that less of its needed

• Hydrolyzed Vegetable (Soy) Protein : (HVP) is produced by boiling foods such as soy, corn, or wheat in hydrochloric acid and then neutralizing the solution with sodium hydroxide. The acid breaks down the protein in vegetables into their component amino acids. The proteins consist of amino acids chains joined together through amide bonds (amino acid bonds). When subjected to hydrolysis (hydrolyzed), the protein is broken down into its component amino acids. In industrial processing hydrochloric acid is used to perform this process. The remaining acid is then neutralized by mixing with an alkali such as sodium hydroxide , which leaves behind table salt , which comprises up to 20% of the final product. Note that Sodium hydroxide is derived from salt water (brine). The Sodium hydroxide is converted to salt from whence it came. It is most manufactured by the electrolysis of brine, a salt (NaCl) solution. A similar biological function would be ingesting a carbohydrate and, through an enzymatic process, our body converts the carbohydrates to glucose for our bodies to burn.

Our bodies produce hydrochloric acid to break down proteins. It is a natural human biological process. HVP ingredient statement reads: “Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Salt, Safflower Oil”. Its safety used as a food additive has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) . Plant protein products are approved by the FDA 21CFR§170. Hydrolyzed soy protein (HVP) has three functions in food which are 1) Enhance the food’s flavor, 2) Increase the nutrition density of food. It has 8 essential amino acids that are indispensable to the human body, as well as other amino acids. 3) and it is used to suppress the undesirable flavors in food

• L-Cysteine Hydrochloride : is a non-essential amino acid that contains sulfur. Methionine is an essential amino acid, whereas cysteine is synthesized from methionine and therefore is a nonessential. It has many sources and the plant based source is whole grains. L-Cysteine hydrochloride monohydrate (LCHCMH) which is a water-soluble salt of the non-essential amino acid, L-cysteine . It is widely employed in the medicine industry. A form of cysteine called L-cysteine may help treat arthritis and hardening of the arteries. It may help treat certain lung diseases. These include bronchitis, emphysema, and tuberculosis. Cysteine may play a role in the normal growth rate of hair. In clinical nutrition L-Cysteine is used as an antioxidant agent and in the food industry as an antioxidant for natural fruit juice products. It may also be used as an additive to amino acid injections to meet essential nutritional requirements in intravenous total parenteral nutrition. l-cysteine is a component in savory (meaty) flavors produced through a Maillard reaction, the reaction of certain sugars with amino acids. When using l-cysteine in such reactions, food scientists have been able to produce a variety of plant-based chicken, beef, and other meat flavors.
• L-Glutamic Acid: is an α-amino acid that is used by almost all living beings in the biosynthesis of proteins. It is a non-essential nutrient for humans, meaning that the human body can synthesize enough for its use. It is also the most abundant excitatory neurotransmitter in the vertebrate nervous system. It is used to treat behavioral problems of personality and childhood, support in the treatment of epilepsy, and muscular dystrophy. It also treats diseases of cognition, prevents nerve damage in individuals receiving chemotherapy. Glutamic acid and its ions and salts called glutamates are flavor compounds that provide umami or savory taste to food. Glutamic acid is a natural constituent of many fermented or aged foods, including soy sauce, fermented bean paste, and cheese, as well as of hydrolyzed protein such as yeast extract. It is an ionic form L-glutamate (GLU)and is one of the most abundant amino acids in nature and it plays important functions at the cellular and systemic levels. For instance, in the intestine and liver, GLU is a source of energy and is the precursor of key biological molecules. Glutamic acid and its ions and salts called glutamates, which are flavor compounds that provide umami or savory taste to food. Glutamic acid is a natural constituent of many fermented or aged foods, including soy sauce, fermented bean paste, and cheese, as well as of hydrolyzed protein such as yeast extract.
• D-Xylose : is a natural sugar used to create savory flavors. It is commonly called wood sugar, is a natural 5-carbon sugar (pentose) obtained from the xylan-rich portion of hardwoods such as birch trees. D-Xylose is used to improve flavors and can also help to produce a visually appealing browning in Savoury applications. In nutrition research D-xylose absorption is a laboratory test to check how well the intestines absorb a simple sugar (D-xylose). The test helps detect if nutrients are being properly absorbed.
• Thiamine Hydrochloride is the hydrochloride salt form of thiamine and a vitamin essential for aerobic metabolism, cell growth, transmission of nerve impulses and *acetylcholine synthesis. It is a white crystalline powder with a faint characteristic yeast/nut-like odor and a bitter taste. It is used to enhance the flavor of foods, including gravies and broths, and can be used as a functional food additive to increase vitamin B1.

*Acetylcholine is the chief neurotransmitter of the parasympathetic nervous system, the part of the autonomic nervous system (a branch of the peripheral nervous system) that contracts smooth muscles, dilates blood vessels, increases bodily secretions, and slows heart rate

Natural Flavors : The term natural flavor or natural flavoring means the essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof, whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional. natural flavors include the natural essence or extractives obtained from plants listed in §§ 182.10, 182.20, 182.40, and 182.50 and part 184 of this chapter, and the substances listed in § 172.510 of this chapter.

Protein hydrolysate is a complex mixture of oligopeptides, peptides, and free amino acids produced from partial or extensive protein hydrolysis process. Hydrolysis involves the reaction of an organic chemical with water to form two or more new substances and usually means the cleavage of chemical bonds by the addition of water.

Methylcellulose: is synthetically produced by heating cellulose with a caustic solution (e.g. a solution of sodium hydroxide which reverts back to table salt) and treating it with methyl chloride . The compound does not occur naturally. It is a synthetic modified form of cellulose. Methyl chloride is manufactured by chlorination of methane or by hydrochlorination of methanol . Four percent is added to synthesize the process and at the end cannot contain more than 30 parts per million in the final ingredient based on FDA regulations. It may not have any in it but if it does it cannot be above 30 ppm.

If you chew out a stick of celery and what is left in your mouth as the stringy stuff is cellulose. It is simply long chains of glucose units strung together.

FDA Regulation: Methylene chloride may be present in food under the following conditions:

“(a) In spice oleoresins as a residue from the extraction of spice, at a level not to exceed 30 parts per million; Provided, That, if residues of other chlorinated solvents are also present, the total of all residues of such solvents shall not exceed 30 parts per million.”

The primary factor in the use of methylcellulose is that like regular cellulose, methylcellulose isn't digestible because we lack cellulase, the necessary enzyme for digesting it. What this means is that our bodies will not absorb it into our tissue. There are 28,350 parts per million in one gram and 454 grams in a pound. That is 12,870,900 parts per million in a pound. I ran the numbers on methylene Chloride in the hydrated RTE Ground Chicken and they came out at 7 PPM per pound of Chicken or 76% below the allotted FDA limit. And that 7 PPM, as part of the methylcellulose, if ingested into consumer’s body, IS NOT ASSIMILATED INTO THE TISSUE. It passes through one’s body and could be in the food at 100 PPM in the methylcellulose and doesn’t matter in this ingredient. That is why the FDA approved methylcellulose. Double positive (below FDA level & not absorbed into body).

It is hydrophilic and used in treating obesity and to treat diverticulosis, irritable bowel syndrome, and constipation. Like regular cellulose, methylcellulose isn't digestible because we lack cellulase, the necessary enzyme for digesting it. It passes through totally undigested, as a soluble fiber. That means it helps the movement of food through the bowels but to me, most importantly, it is not fermented in the lower gut so it doesn’t give you wind. It is used as a laxative for people with problems – but like so many things, it’s a question of dose.

Methylcellulose is used in food as an inexpensive bulk filler in Eco-Cuisine’s ground chicken to improve the texture of the protein without disrupting the nutritional value of the food. In combination with the proteins it creates the mouthfeel in the ground chicken.

Hydrolyzed Corn Gluten: is a protein hydrolysate used as a flavor enhancer in food. Along with hydrolyzed soy protein, they’re both commonly used in a compound form as flavor. This flavor enhancer imparts a meat-like flavor in processed savory food products such as plant proteins and has a .1% to 20% usage in foods. The Commission of European Union defines it as a protein hydrolyzates corn that is obtained by acidic, alkaline, or enzymatic hydrolysis of zea mays (maize or corn) composed primarily of amino acids, peptides, and proteins. It may contain the main impurities: carbohydrates and lipids. The manufacturing process is hydrolysis of maize protein by acid, enzyme or alkali. Generally, the acid method is the main process utilized. Hydrochloric acid is added to the plant protein to hydrolyze it. After neutralization, it is decolorized, deodorized, filtered and concentrated to form a slurry or make it a powered form through the spray-dried method. The FDA position: “The common or usual name of a protein hydrolysate shall be specific to the ingredient and shall include the identity of the food source from which the protein was derived. (a) "Hydrolyzed wheat gluten," ‘hydrolyzed soy protein,’ and ‘autolyzed yeast extract’" are examples of acceptable names.” The names "hydrolyzed vegetable protein" and "hydrolyzed protein" are not acceptable because they do not identify the food source of the protein.

HVP may be described as a way to disguise MSG (monosodium glutamate) in processed foods. They are NOT the same thing, but HVP and MSG are both flavor enhancers, and HVP does contain high levels of glutamate (hence the connection). If glutamate causes problems for you, then you should avoid all HVP. I am stating this with the premise that Hydrolyzed Corn Protein is used at 1/7000^th of a percent in the formula and because Hydrolyzed Corn Protein does not contain MSG that we don’t have to state this concern. Even if someone was be allergic to MSG it they would not be affected by such a low dosage. The ground chicken does not contain MSG so we don’t have to declare it and the Glutamine is at 7/1000^th of a percent. My point here is to be aware of the matter should it ever arise.

“ North America and Europe dominate the global hydrolysed corn protein market by market share , the South Asian and East Asian markets are projected to be front runners in terms of market growth owing to the rising demand for nutritional food ingredients” – Future Market Insights

FYI Note: Enzyme hydrolysis of corn gluten meal creates hydrolyzed corn gluten of which both products are used as environmentally friendly herbicides. In my research of this matter I found the same Hydrolyzed Corn Protein used in both human food consumption and fertilizer. I cited both the US FDA and the EU on this matter because the European Union is much stricter than the US on food matters.

Dehydrated Onion: are whole fresh onions, peeled, sliced, or chopped into sseparate the onion segments and spread them out evenly on your dehydrator trays in a single layer. Set the temperature of the dehydrator to 125˚F and dry for 3-9 hours . The timing will depend on the size of your onion pieces and moisture content. The dehydrated onions should be crisp and snap when your break them. The powder is produced by taking the onion flakes and crushing them into several variations, including powder. The dehydration process stops microorganisms from living and multiplying in the veggie. Generally speaking, there are no preservatives or additives

Dehydrated Garlic: The garlic cloves are sliced and dried further, to a moisture level of less than 6.8%. During the dehydration process, a continuous conveyer belt passes the sliced garlic through various stages with a range of temperatures, air flows and retention times, depending on the garlic variety and its intended use. Garlic powder is a spice that is derived from dehydrated garlic and used in cooking for flavor enhancement. The process of making garlic powder includes drying and dehydrating the vegetable, then powdering it through machinery

Spices: The term spice means any aromatic vegetable substance in the whole, broken, or ground form, except for those substances which have been traditionally regarded as foods, such as onions, garlic and celery; whose significant function in food is seasoning rather than nutritional; that is true to name; and from which no portion of any volatile oil or other flavoring principle has been removed. Spices include the spices listed in § 182.10 and part 184 of this chapter, such as the following: Horehound (hoarhound), Horseradish, Hyssop, Lavender, Linden flowers, Mace, Marigold-pot, Marjoram-pot, Black or Brown Mustard, Brown Mustard White or Yellow Mustard, , Nutmeg, Oregano (oregano, Mexican oregano, Mexican sage-origin, Paprika, Parsley, Black Pepper, Cayenne Pepper, Red Pepper, White Pepper, Peppermint, Poppy seed, Pot Marigold, Pot Marjoram, Rosemary, Saffron, Sage, Greek Sage, Summer Savory, Winter Savory, Sesame, Spearmint, Star Anise, Tarragon, Thyme, Wild or Creeping Thyme, Turmeric, Vanilla, Zedoary, Alfalfa herb and seed, Allspice, Ambrette seed, Angelica, Angelica root, Angelica seed, Angostura (cusp aria bark), Anise, Anise star, Balm (lemon balm, Basil (bush), Sweet Basil, Bay, Calendula, Camomil (English or Roman), Camomile (German or Hungarian), Capers, Capsicum, Caraway, Caraway (black and black cumin), Cardamon, Chinese Cassia, Padang or Batavia Cassia, Saigon Cassia, Cayenne pepper, Celery Seed, Chives, Ceylon Cinnamon, Chinese Cinnamon, Saigon Cinnamon, Clary (clary sage), Clover, Coriander, Cumin (cumin), Black Cumin (black caraway), Elder flowers, Common Fennel, Sweet Fennel (finocchio, Florence fennel), Fenugreek, Galanga (galangal, Geranium, Ginger, Grains of paradise

Potassium Chloride is a naturally occurring salt derived from the ground or sea. It's a potassium-based salt that food manufacturers mostly use to replace sodium chloride, or table salt. In some applications, it can help reduce the presence of sodium by as much as 70%. Unlike regular table salt it has a bitter flavor and has to be used moderately as a seasoning in food or the recipe adjusted to use a higher percentage. Eco-Cuisine uses it to reduce and neutralize the sodium in the Ground Chicken while improving flavor profile. Scientists do not completely understand how sodium and potassium interact, but they do know that potassium causes the kidneys to excrete more sodium in the urine and also helps to relax the blood vessels. These two actions of potassium contribute to lower blood pressure. Potassium and sodium work together to maintain fluid balance, and when potassium intake is high, it helps your body excrete more sodium.

Torula Yeast Is a type of yeast that is a byproduct of the paper industry. During the process of turning wood into paper, torula yeast grows on waste sulfite liquid, from the wood pulp. From there, it can be taken and dried into a powder. Once dried, torula yeast is a tan color and tastes somewhat meaty. It’s edible and enhances the smoky umami flavor in cooking. It is a byproduct yeast of the paper industry.

Torula yeast can also be grown on wood sugars obtained as a byproduct of paper production, as well as other sources of sugar. It is inactivated and then used as a flavoring or taste enhancer, thanks to its monosodium glutamate (MSG) content and umami taste. Yeast extract contains naturally occurring glutamates, but not as much as MSG. The main difference between yeast extract and MSG in foods comes down to flavor. MSG doesn't have a flavor. Instead, it acts as a flavor enhancer, like salt.