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Glossary: Alternative Protein

Terms Explained

Alternative protein comes with its own vocabulary, and it can get technical fast. This glossary defines the terms you’ll run into across our guides, covering ingredients, production methods, and the language used in industry news. Everything is explained in plain English, so you’re never stuck looking something up mid-article.

Cultivated Meat

Mycoprotein

Precision Fermentation

Novel Food

Seitan

pea isolate

fungi based protein

cell based

novel food

Plant-Based Terms

The vocabulary behind soy, pea, and wheat-based products.

• Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP)

• Pea Protein Isolate

• Seitan

• Meat Analogue

• Extrusion Cooking

Fungi-Based Terms

The language of mycelium and fermentation.

• Mycelium

• Mycoprotein

• Solid-State Fermentation

• Biomass Fermentation

Cell – Based Terms

How cultivated meat is described, from lab to label.

• Cultivated Meat (Cultured Meat)

• Cell Line

• Bioreactor

• Scaffolding

Industry & Regulatory Terms

Terms you’ll see in company news, funding rounds, and approval stories.

• Precision Fermentation

• Novel Food

• Regulatory Approval

• Alternative Protein

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