Caroline Cotto’s research group taste-tests meat alternatives so plant-based companies can attract new customers – and help the climateI am sitting in a Manhattan restaurant on a frigid Thursday in January, eating six mini servings of steak and mashed potatoes, one after another. The first steak I am served has a nice texture but is sort of unnaturally reddish. The second has a great crispy sear on the outside, but leaves behind a lingering chemical aftertaste. The next is fine on its own, but I imagine would be quite delicious shredded, drenched in barbecue sauce and served on a bun with vinegary pickles and a side of slaw.If you peeked into this restaurant, you’d see nothing out of the ordinary – just a diverse range of New Yorkers huddled over plates of food. But everyone present is here for more than just a hot meal. We’re participating in a blind taste test of plant- (or sometimes mushroom-) based steaks, organized by a group of people who hope that better-tasting meat alternat...
Caroline Cotto and her group, Nectar, conduct taste tests of plant-based meat alternatives in real restaurant settings with diverse consumers to help companies improve their products' taste and appeal to meat-eaters, aiming to drive decarbonization by increasing the mainstream adoption of meat alternatives. Nectar's approach simulates real-world eating experiences and has revealed that omnivores sometimes prefer plant-based options over meat.
