The cheeseburger is Bill Gates’ favorite food, but the magnate wishes it wasn’t, due to the impact it has on the environment. However, there is a company that recreates his favorite dish without causing harm to the planet: we’re talking about Savor.
“I’ve tried many of the best meat and dairy substitutes out there and, while I’ve tried some excellent ones, nothing on the market currently would completely fool a burger lover. Even when the taste is similar, something is still missing: the greasy, sizzling sizzle that binds the ideal sandwich and makes it so delicious and difficult to replicate,” the businessman pointed out on Gates Notes.
The secret ingredient is animal fat. Unfortunately, it’s also a disaster for the climate. Every year, the world emits 51 billion tons of greenhouse gases, and the production of fats and oils from animals and plants accounts for seven percent of that amount.
“What we need are new ways to generate the same fat molecules found in animal products, but without greenhouse gas emissions, animal suffering, or dangerous chemicals. And they have to be affordable for everyone. That’s where a company called Savor, in which I’ve invested and is in the process of creating that formula, comes in,” Gates explained.
Recreating animal fat
This company has developed a process that involves taking carbon dioxide from the air and hydrogen from water, heating them, and oxidizing them to trigger the separation of fatty acids and then the formulation of fat. The result, real fat molecules like those obtained from milk, cheese, beef, and vegetable oils. The process does not release greenhouse gases, does not use farmland, and uses less than one-thousandth of the water used in traditional agriculture.
“Most importantly, it tastes very good, as if it were real, because chemically it is. I tried Savor’s products and couldn’t believe I wasn’t eating real butter. (The burger also came close). The big challenge is to lower the price so that products like Savor are affordable for the masses, either at the same cost as animal fats or less. Savor has good chances of success here, because the key steps of their fat production process already work in other industries,” he concluded
