As firms such as Motif FoodWorks have observed, hard fats such as coconut oil - which are typically added to plant proteins post extrusion - are not distributed throughout plant-based burgers in the same way that fat is distributed in animals, plus they have a tendency to leak out during cooking and impart a coconutty smell. “Specialty fats such as coconut are being added to plant-based meats for particular functional or mouthfeel purposes," said Dr. James Petrie, co-founder and CEO at Nourish Ingredients, which is based in Canberra, but plans to target the North American market. "The problems is, they don't resemble animal fats closely enough, in terms of their performance, mouthfeel, flavor and aroma," Petrie told FoodNavigator-USA.