Less-Preferred Meat Cuts Achieve a Tender Texture

Startup 'Deep.Plant' (CEO Kim Cheol-beom) ages meat using its 'deep-aging' technology. The deep-aging method is an aging process that activates proteolytic enzymes within the meat using ultrasound and water pressure, all while it remains in its vacuum-sealed packaging.

CEO Kim Cheol-beom ventured into the food-tech business in 2019. "While researching the meat market, I realized that less-preferred cuts and low-grade meat were being undervalued," he said.

The core of Deep.Plant's technology is that the aging process is managed based on artificial intelligence (AI) and big data.

Deep.Plant quantifies and stores data such as the physical characteristics, tenderness, and proteolytic enzyme activity for each cut of meat. It then accumulates data on the changes within each cut during the aging period. Through this process, the company has built a meat database (DB) for various cuts and conditions, completing an AI model that predicts the aging results for different types of meat.

"With deep-aging technology, we can achieve the effects of more than 20 days of aging in just seven days, transforming the meat to have a deep flavor and a tender texture," said CEO Kim.

Deep.Plant's next goal is overseas expansion. "Deep-aging technology will be particularly effective on meat from Southeast Asia, which tends to have less fat due to local rearing practices," CEO Kim stated.

By Lee Yu-ri / glass@nongmin.com