Key findings
- 1Soy leghemoglobin (the "bleeding" compound) is produced by genetically engineered yeast in fermentation tanks, making it one of the first precision-fermented consumer food ingredients
- 2The Impossible Burger lists ingredients including soy protein concentrate, coconut oil, sunflower oil, potato protein, methylcellulose, and cultured dextrose
- 3Soy protein concentrate is typically extracted from soybean flakes using hexane, an industrial solvent; the protein is then processed into a functional food ingredient
What goes into Impossible Burger products?
Impossible Foods' key breakthrough is soy leghemoglobin (heme), a molecule found naturally in soy root nodules that carries the iron-rich, "bloody" flavor of meat. Extracting it from roots was impractical, so Impossible engineered Pichia pastoris yeast to produce it through fermentation, and the heme gene from soybeans was inserted into yeast DNA. This is one of the first consumer food ingredients produced via precision fermentation of a genetically modified organism. The protein base uses soy protein concentrate (hexane-extracted from soybean flakes) and potato protein (acid-extracted from potato starch waste). Sunflower oil and coconut oil provide fat. Methylcellulose and food starch bind the matrix. The result is a technologically impressive but heavily engineered food, assembled through multiple novel processes.
How 23 impossible burger products break down
Share of products at each processing level, in our analysis.
Impossible Burger brand comparison
From least to most processed in our database.
How to read a impossible burger label
- 1
Soy leghemoglobin is produced via genetically engineered yeast: a novel food ingredient
- 2
Soy protein concentrate is typically extracted using hexane solvent
- 3
Like Beyond Meat, methylcellulose provides the heat-firming meat texture
- 4
Cultured dextrose is an antimicrobial preservative produced by bacterial fermentation
Which ingredients should you watch for?
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Frequently asked questions
What makes the Impossible Burger bleed?
Soy leghemoglobin (heme), a protein found in soy root nodules that carries iron and creates the metallic, savory "blood" flavor of meat. Because harvesting soy roots is impractical, Impossible inserted the heme gene into yeast and produces it through fermentation. This GMO-derived ingredient was approved by the FDA in 2019.
Is the Impossible Burger a GMO product?
The key ingredient (soy leghemoglobin) is produced by genetically modified yeast. The soy protein itself may or may not be from GMO soybeans depending on the source. The product is technically a product of genetic engineering, though the final burger does not contain living GMOs.
Is the Impossible Burger safe?
The FDA reviewed soy leghemoglobin and issued a "no questions" response to Impossible Foods' GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) notification. The processing safety concern is not about acute toxicity but about the novelty of precision-fermented ingredients in the food supply; long-term data is still limited.