Plant-based proteins are sometimes utilized in meat and dairy analogues, and once in a while in egg analogues. Their goal is to offer flexitarian, vegetarian and vegan shoppers with an expertise which compares carefully with meat and dairy in style, texture and dietary worth.
Nonetheless, there may be much more potential for plant-based proteins than merely changing meat and dairy. At Meals Substances Europe (FIE), which passed off in Frankfurt, Germany, FoodNavigator discovered a variety of makes use of for plant-based proteins that went past meat and dairy analogues.
Roquette: Including texture to meals
In June this yr, French substances firm Roquette opened a new meals innovation centre, positioned in its plant close to the village of Lestrem, France. One of many foremost capabilities of the centre is to innovate utilizing Roquette’s key substances, amongst them pea and wheat protein.
However Roquette desires to maneuver past utilizing these proteins merely within the context of meat and dairy analogues. It desires to widen the scope of what they’ll do. “We’re much less oriented on plant-based burger, plant-based sausage,” Christine Beauvois, Head of Meals Buyer Technical Service, Europe at Roquette, informed FoodNavigator. As an alternative, Roquette desires “one thing extra advanced. . . reasonably than having only a resolution of plant-based alternate options. I actually consider that the patron is extra delicate to the style and texture.”
For instance, pea protein can be utilized in bread. “Now we have a devoted pea protein which isn’t competing with the gluten, so which means you may enrich the bread with pea protein with out having any interplay with the gluten from the wheat,” Beauvois, informed us.
Roquette protein can be used so as to add texture to meals, with out using meat analogues. “For instance, at dwelling I take advantage of pea protein texturised to interchange the meat within the lasagne. It actually performs the function of meat due to the feel, the juiciness, the mouthfeel.” This protein, Beauvois defined, is “to organize your tomatoes, onions and spices,” in flip enhancing the feel of the meal.
“We even have powder mixes, while you simply add some water and the protein will simply swell and offers you the mouthfeel so it may be actually big selection of proposal in savoury, in candy. So now we have actually open doorways for the pea protein as a instrument.”
ChickP: A well-known style
“Now we have now a pure protein. A pure protein is the very best worth provide to the meals business, as a result of you may incorporate it in so many purposes.” So mentioned Liat Lachish Levy, CEO of Israeli startup ChickP.
The startup’s chickpea protein isolate might be utilised in quite a lot of merchandise, starting from dairy analogues, together with cheese and barista’s milk, to different, fortified merchandise, equivalent to granola-based cereal and power bars. Due to its lack of bitterness and recognisability in dishes like hummus, which have been eaten for a whole bunch of years, the protein supplies a wonderful foundation for a practical ingredient, Levy informed us.
“I believe the innovation is available in our capacity to take a really conventional, well-known ingredient and introduce it as a . . . resolution to the business.”
In addition to the style and the familiarity to shoppers, chickpea is “an especially dietary crop with a whole amino acid profile. The well being advantages provide an ideal resolution and pure resolution within the area of energetic diet.” Chickpea, in contrast to soy, is just not an allergen and thus might be extra versatile.
Primarily, although, the enchantment of chickpea comes from an elevated demand for top protein content material in a variety of meals, reasonably than simply meat and dairy analogues, from flexitarians who want to interchange the protein they’re shedding from decreasing meat consumption. Chickpea, with the advantages described by way of style, suits the invoice effectively.
“The necessity for protein as being a practical ingredient comes from the patron. Customers are on the lookout for an alternate, and it is a matter of style, it is a matter of well being, and it is a matter of value. Nevertheless it needs to be first the style.” With different proteins, “the style, the bitterness of the isolate, the bitterness of the product seems while you strive the product, and this you do not have with chickpea.”
MycoTechnology: Mycelia fermentation
US-based substances firm MycoTechynology additionally develops proteins supposed for a variety of makes use of. One such protein is its FermentIQ protein, which is constructed from protein fermented in shiitake mycelia.
MycoTechnology’s protein, by way of its fermentation, loses most of its flavour, making it straightforward to make use of in a mess of merchandise. “What you begin with is at all times style,” Pete Lubar, EVP Enterprise Growth & Co Founder at MycoTechnology, informed FoodNavigator.
“In case you naturalise the odour and style of pea protein and rice protein, then you are able to do some actually superb issues with it from a style standpoint. It’s a lot simpler to flavour, a lot simpler to make a very good tasting product.”
Fermentation additionally has extra, dietary worth. It “makes it extra bioavailable to the physique – now we have a very nice full amino acid profile – in order that’s tremendous good as a result of we are able to make dietary claims. The physique can take in practically 100% of the amino acids which might be in FermentIQ.”
