EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – Beyond Meat Inc. recently took another step in its quest to create a plant-based version of a beef burger by adding what the company calls “marbling.”

The Beyond Meat version of marbling is made with a blend of pea, mung bean and rice proteins and is designed to melt and tenderize like beef fat. The company said the protein blend provides a meatier taste and texture that is similar to the chew and juiciness of beef.

The company plans to ship the new iteration of the Beyond Burger to customers this week. Beyond Meat’s product line of fresh and frozen plant-based proteins are sold at more than 30,000 retail and foodservice outlets worldwide.

“The new Beyond Burger is the next step in our journey toward building meat directly from plants that delivers a consumer experience indistinguishable from its animal protein equivalent,” said Ethan Brown, Beyond Meat founder and CEO.

Impossible Foods debuted upgrades to its signature product in January this year. Impossible Foods developed the  Impossible Burger 2.0 using soy protein in response to consumer demand for wheat- and gluten-free options.

And while the previous version of the Impossible Burger was developed for flat-top cooking ranges in foodservice kitchens, the upgraded plant-based burger may be steamed or seared over an open flame (like a beef burger) and can be incorporated into ground meat dishes such as meatballs and chili, according to the company.