A German researcher has developed an innovative method to produce the foie gras without the forced diet of the geese, using natural enzymes to replicate the traditional process.
An important step towards a more ethical diet was taken thanks to the discovery of a German researcher, who managed to create the Foie grasone of the most luxurious and controversial dishes in the world, without the use of bloody methods such as the forced diet of animals.
Traditionally, Foie Gras is produced through a process called Gavage, which involves the forced diet of ducks and geese, a method considered highly bloody. But thanks to an innovative scientific discovery, it is now possible to get a similar foie gras, but without damaging any animal.
The discovery
The discovery was led by Thomas Vilgis, a researcher at the Max Planck Institute in Germany. Using enzymes that help digest fats in the animal’s body, the Vilgis group has managed to imitate the natural activities that take place in the liver liver, replicating the results of the traditional foie gras without the need for forced nutrition.
How the new method works
The traditional Method of production of the Foie Gras provides that the animal’s liver is enlarged to become ten times larger than the normal, but the new technique developed by the researchers is based on a scientific process that uses enzymes to manipulate the structure of the fat present in the liver.
The key to the discovery is the use of a lipase, an enzyme extracted from the rough candid yeast, which changes the structure of animal fat to imitate the consistency of the foie gras. The treatment of fatty material with the enzyme before mixing it with the liver allows you to replicate the microscopic distribution of fat, creating a texture and a flavor very similar to those of the traditional foie gras.
The initial tests
In preliminary experiments, Thomas Vilgis, who is a fan of the dish, said that the flavor and consistency of the foie gras obtained with this technique are almost identical to those of the traditional version.
“The flavor was practically indistinguishable. We no longer need to kill animals for a fleeting moment of tasting,” said Vilgis in an interview with New Scientist.
This discovery was published on March 25 on AIP Publishing and is already making himself talked about in the scientific world.
The conventional production of Foie Gras is prohibited in many countries for ethical reasons. With the increase in awareness regarding the treatment of animals, the demand for ethical alternatives is growing. The new discovery represents an important step forward towards what researchers call “sustainable gastronomy”. This approach not only eliminates animal suffering, but also offers a practical solution for those who do not want to give up the taste of foie gras.
The process is currently in the patent phase and negotiations with companies in the food sector are already underway to bring this innovation to the market. If the new technique is successful, it could mark a turning point in the way high cuisine dishes are prepared in the future, reducing the environmental impact and improving the ethics of food production.
