Marc E. Levenston

This study shows that chondrocytes respond to solid stress from their nascent matrix in hydrogels, leading to inflammatory and migratory responses associated with osteoarthritis.

Plant-based products span stiffness 56.65 kPa (firm tofu) to 418.9 kPa (Tofurky roast), bracketing three processed animal meats; stiffness plus shear storage and loss moduli were the most consistent readouts.

The paper measures the mechanical and sensory properties of plant-based and animal meats using multi-dimensional tests and neural networks, finding that some plant-based products closely mimic animal meats in texture.