leghemoglobin

American  

[leg-hee-muh-gloh-bin, -hem-uh-] / lɛgˈhi məˌgloʊ bɪn, -ˈhɛm ə- /

noun

Biochemistry.

1. a hemoglobinlike red pigment in the root nodules of leguminous plants, as soybean, that is essential for nitrogen fixation.

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Etymology

Origin of leghemoglobin

First recorded in 1965–70; leg(ume) + hemoglobin

Example Sentences

It’s been only six years since Impossible Foods introduced a patty made with soy leghemoglobin to mimic beef blood.

From New York Times • Feb. 15, 2022

Soy leghemoglobin performed best, so Impossible built a dozen machines to try to harvest it from the root nodules of soy.

From The New Yorker • Sep. 23, 2019

For example, the Impossible Burger’s contents include, “soy protein concentrate, coconut oil, sunflower oil … methylcellulose, yeast extract, cultured dextrose, food starch modified, soy leghemoglobin, salt, soy protein isolate.”

From Seattle Times • Jun. 12, 2019

Impossible Foods, the Silicon Valley maker of the eponymous burger, uses genetically modified yeast to mass produce its central ingredient, soy leghemoglobin, or “heme.”

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 26, 2018

But the agency said in a letter to the Impossible Foods start-up that it determined “soy leghemoglobin GRAS, or generally recognized as safe, in its most recent review,” CNBC’s Ariel Shapiro reports.

From Washington Post • Jul. 25, 2018