Thrilling Foods Patents Its Fat-Streaked Vegan Bacon

Portland-based Thrilling Foods says it has earned a patent for its ‘world’s first’ fat-streaked vegan ‘bakon’.

Patents are rare in the plant-based meat category, says Thrilling Foods, but the young company’s “protein-bound fat” streaks have satisfied the U.S. patent office, the company says. Thrilling says international patents are also on the way.

A breakthrough tech allows Thrilling to reproduce the flavor and texture of pork bacon with plants. Like conventional bacon, this one is marbled with fat from plant-based sources that provide texture and flavor.

The patent announcement comes after Thrilling was chosen as one of 17 companies to receive pre-seeding funding and mentorship from Big Idea Ventures’ food accelerator program last month. 

Breakthrough tech for vegan bacon

The product, which is both low carb and high protein, was created by David Jones, a cook and culinary innovator. He says he developed the product during covid lockdown.

Thrilling’s vegan bacon is the only dry salt and smoke-cured plant-based bacon on the market. “If it’s not cured, it’s not going to taste right,” Jones says.

The dispersion of fat and protein allows the vegan bacon to cook like conventional pork bacon. Thrilling says its protein structure holds the fat within the protein structure, releasing it only during cooking from the outside in, much like the way animal fats are released during cooking.

Despite its similarities to conventional bacon, Thrilling says its Bakon is healthy; conventional bacon along with other processed meats have been classified as carcinogenic by the World Health Organization.

In addition to its plant-based ingredients, Thrilling’s Bakon is made from non-GMO soy milk, and RSPO-certified palm oil, meaning that it’s free from oil linked to deforestation.

Vegan bacon demand

The patent comes as the company is aiming to meet the growing demand for plant-based bacon, and specifically, demand for Thrilling’s vegan Bakon.

Thrilling isn’t just offering an option for vegans; 66 percent of its repeat customers self-identify as omnivores, the company says.

The company says its recent funding is allowing it to increase its production to 2,000 pounds per day, which will help accelerate its placement in more stores nationally.

Thrilling is only available in 200 U.S. locations at present, but the company says its vegan bacon is already the eighth-ranked vegan breakfast meat in high-end health food shops despite only being stocked in three percent of stores nationwide.

Lead photo courtesy of Thrilling Foods.