THE GLOBAL POPULATION IS PREDICTED TO GROW TO AROUND 10 BILLION BY 2050, WITH MORE PEOPLE MOVING TO CITIES, BECOMING WEALTHIER, AND CHANGING THEIR DIETARY HABITS.THE RESULTING INCREASE IN DEMAND FOR A MORE WESTERN-STYLE DIET IS PUTTING PRESSURE ON THE GLOBAL FOOD SUPPLY.THE CONSUMPTION OF HIGH LEVELS OF ANIMAL PRODUCTS (ESPECIALLY BEEF) IS A MAJOR FACTOR CONTRIBUTING TO THE NEGATIVE IMPACT OF THE MODERN DIET ON THE ENVIRONMENT.FOR THIS REASON, MANY CONSUMERS ARE INTERESTED IN SWITCHING TO A MORE PLANT-BASED DIET TO IMPROVE THEIR HEALTH, INCREASE SUSTAINABILITY, REDUCE POLLUTION, AND DECREASE ENERGY, LAND, AND WATER USE.THIS HAS LED TO A RAPIDLY GROWING MARKET FOR PLANT-BASED FOODS, PARTICULARLY PLANT-BASED MEATS, WHICH IS PREDICTED TO REACH OVER $21 BILLION BY 2025.MOST OF THE CURRENT PRODUCTS ARE DESIGNED TO MIMIC HIGHLY PROCESSED PRODUCTS CONTAINING GROUND OR COMMINUTED MEAT, SUCH AS BURGERS, SAUSAGES, AND NUGGETS.THESE PRODUCTS CONTAIN MEAT FRAGMENTS THAT ARE RELATIVELY SIMPLE TO MIMIC WITH TEXTURIZED PLANT PROTEINS.THERE IS, HOWEVER, A NEED FOR MORE SOPHISTICATED PLANT-BASED FOODS THAT CAN MIMIC THE PROPERTIES OF WHOLE MUSCLE MEAT PRODUCTS SUCH AS CHICKEN BREAST, BEEF STEAK, OR PORK CHOPS.CONSUMERS EXPECT THESE PRODUCTS TO HAVE SPECIFIC QUALITY ATTRIBUTES, SUCH AS APPEARANCE, TEXTURE, MOUTHFEEL, AND FLAVOR, AS WELL AS FAMILIAR FUNCTIONAL ATTRIBUTES SUCH AS COOKABILITY.USING EXISTING TECHNOLOGIES, IT HAS PROVED EXTREMELY CHALLENGING TO CREATE PLANT-BASED MEAT ANALOGS THAT ACCURATELY SIMULATE THE UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS OF WHOLE MUSCLE MEATS.THIS IS HOLDING BACK THE ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS THAT WOULD BE GAINED IF MORE PEOPLE REPLACED SOME OR ALL OF THE ANIMAL FOODS IN THEIR DIETS WITH MORE SUSTAINABLE PLANT-BASED ALTERNATIVES.THE PURPOSE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO DEVELOPSOFT-MATTER PHYSICSAPPROACHES TO CREATE THE NEXT GENERATION OF HIGH-QUALITY PLANT-BASED MEAT ANALOGS.THESE APPROACHES ARE BASED ON UNDERSTANDING AND CONTROLLING THE STRUCTURAL ORGANIZATION OF THE MOLECULES WITHIN A MATERIAL SO AS TO CREATE SPECIFIC PHYSICOCHEMICAL, FUNCTIONAL, AND SENSORY ATTRIBUTES, SUCH AS APPEARANCE, TEXTURE, MOUTHFEEL, FLAVOR, STABILITY, AND COOKABILITY.IN THIS PROJECT, PLANT-BASED PROTEINS AND DIETARY FIBERS WILL BE USED AS THE MAIN BUILDING BLOCKS, WHILE SOFT MATTER PHYSICS APPROACHES WILL BE USED TO ASSEMBLE THEM INTO SPECIFIC MEAT-LIKE STRUCTURES.MOREOVER, THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PRODUCT COMPOSITION, STRUCTURE, PHYSICOCHEMICAL, AND SENSORY PROPERTIES WILL BE ESTABLISHED.THE KNOWLEDGE GAINED FROM THIS PROJECT SHOULD PROVIDE INFORMATION THAT THE FOOD INDUSTRY CAN USE TO CREATE BETTER QUALITY PLANT-BASED MEAT ANALOGS FOR WHOLE MUSCLE MEATS.