Creating 2 Types of Vegan Burgers

In order to formulate my final project based on that thought, I combined several things that I enjoy which are: cooking, educating, marketing, science, and animal cruelty free alternatives, leading to my final goal being “To conduct research and scientific trials to develop 2 types of vegan burgers in order to promote veganism and a balanced lifestyle” This differed from my initial idea of focusing solely on bread, a component of burgers, but I soon realized that I could challenge myself further if I had to incorporate more complex food science techniques. Through the incorporation of the latter, I intend to develop vegan burgers that likened that of 2 of my favorite burgers, the Sloppy Joe and the Buffalo Chicken Burger from The Buffalo. Yet, the balanced lifestyle that I intend to promote mentioned previously is perceived as having enough nutrients in the dish that can liken or prove to be more beneficial than its meat counterparts. A balanced lifestyle is one to be dietarily satisfied while not depriving themselves of essential nutrients, in which vegan alternatives provide a solution for, as well as a lifestyle that does not negatively impact its surroundings. As many still are unaware of the product or the benefits, I will be launching a website and Instagram account in order to market, sell, and provide additional information.

Global Context

The global context I would enhance further in this project is Scientific and Technological Innovation due to its nature of showing how a product can impact its surrounding environment. This becomes a justification as to why I intend to make my project, to show that with modern technology we are able to alter perspectives of previously understood information. The biological laws in which it explains the dietary needs of the human will also be implemented as I intend to prove that an unorthodox solution can fulfill these needs through the abundance of basic molecules such as protein.

Product

Relating to my goal, I successfully created 2 types of vegan burgers. To supplement the product, I also developed an Instagram account. The development process was guided by professional chefs, through online interviews, and tasters. Though the production was aided by workers in my house during the selling days. Scientifically speaking, the process included many technical skills such as comparing protein contents, separating gluten from flour, and utilizing machinery. Customers were able to provide input that showed the burger mimicked regular meat in terms of texture and taste. Therefore, the high approval of the dish establishes the notion that eating in a dietarily balanced manner can also be tasty. Major food components such as fibre, carbohydrates, and protein packed the dish.

Thus, another successful aspect was the Instagram account. The information displayed in the account introduced veganism as an alternative lifestyle that can positively impact the environment. The content also provided scientific information on the different components of the burger that show its health advantages. As a means of marketing and viewer engagement, specialized illustrations were made with creative article titles. Further technical skills were implemented when I developed a promotional video. Lastly, pictures of the product were taken in a professional environment. The lighting and angles ensured that the burgers were captured in an appetizing manner.

See my project posts below!

Reflection

Initially, my knowledge of veganism was very restricted and biased. I grew up in Indonesia, where they often stigmatized the word due to negative connotations such as high price point of ingredients, inaccessibility, and foreign nature. As an athlete, I was concerned if it could provide me with essential nutrients. When I counted the protein content, the Vital Wheat Gluten contributed to 37.5 grams per patty, far higher than the 15.5 grams in its chicken counterpart. Furthermore, the ingredients I purchased were far cheaper than the average prices of burger ingredients I normally used. For example, a chicken patty of 100 gram would cost Rp. 10.500, while the same amount of Vital Wheat Gluten would cost Rp. 2.000. Thus, I started to understand the benefits of the movement, especially since I had contacted people who were big advocates of it.

Although food and scientific innovation rarely are considered linear, I learnt through my project the importance of applying the global context when developing recipes. Prior to the project, I rarely regarded cooking concepts such as fermentation in bread, nutritional values, or the taste umami found in meat. However, research and trials helped me become aware that knowledge of technical skills creates a sense of quick problem solving skills. The essence of scientific innovation is to constantly create solutions to real world problems, which I vehemently implemented. Through the production of meat substitutes, I was able to reduce the carbon footprint of 17 families. Omitting beef from my patty made me reduce each burger’s carbon footprint by 2.210 grams.

IB Learner Reflection

In order to complete a project of this magnitude, it required me to tap into all the profiles embedded into me since I started IB in elementary school. The profile I had developed the most was risk taker. As an ISTJ based on the Myer-Briggs assessment, I tend to lean towards tasks I’m most comfortable with. Due to the unpredictability of recipe developing and customer opinions, I was able to constantly challenge myself. With the knowledge of my miniature kitchen, I was able to defy my parents’ doubts on the ability by producing burgers in large quantities. Doubts were also towards my ability to finish my product before my holiday, which I took a risk on and proved possible.

Though, finishing my product early was initially thought to apprehend me from fulfilling my other responsibilities. As a balanced student, I was able to attend my sport training sessions, finish my school applications, and submit my tasks. Within all of that, I was able to mindfully relax and finish many tv shows. Although relaxing too much can apprehend progress, I started to adopt new techniques to avoid creating new problems.

In the means to troubleshoot problems, I became a very strong Thinker through developing plans. Prior to the project, I was quite messy and uncoordinated. After taking on the project, I started utilizing my phone planner and calculating a schedule based on estimated completion times of tasks. I started to look for possibilities in the long run to see openings of free time, rather than dwindle on my developmental mistakes in the past.

However, the main reason for choosing the project was due to my nature of being an Inquirer. I constantly questioned the possibility of mimicking meat that adhered to many dietary restrictions. Furthermore, every recipe development session influenced me to research more. Researching helped me become culturally aware of niche ingredients and catalyzed more thought sessions.

Thus, these thought sessions became fruit to many of the conclusions I made about myself throughout this project. Especially, in understanding how much strength I could possibly have. At one point, my father passed away by unforeseen circumstances. Yet, I persevered through it all. That mentality was made possible by the mind boggling and difficult events this project has placed upon me. In essence, not only did I develop a scientific invention that could help many, but in the process saw myself grow into a better person.