Mystery science eater

Photographs: Jeff Gurwin

Transglutaminase

THE FINE-DINING CREATION:
Chefs have taken to calling this enzyme “meat glue,” which conjures images of Frankenstein-like creations. And to some extent, that’s accurate: Transglutaminase bonds amino acids together, fusing the proteins between pieces of meat. Executive chef Craig Hopson, at One if by Land, Two if by Sea, debones a delicate red mullet, then reattaches the fillets before serving the whole thing steamed with crushed cherry tomatoes and peach puree.

THE INDUSTRIAL VERSION:
Though it sounds like a lab-hatched substance, transglutaminase is in fact a naturally occurring enzyme that is central to the blood-clotting process. The implications of its ability to cross-link proteins in the body weren’t lost on food companies, who have long used it to bind together purees and scraps of meat in foods like restructured steaks, chicken nuggets and imitation crab sticks.

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