The ‘protein transition’, the swap many consider that we (the human race, that’s) might want to make away from animal sources of protein in the direction of various sources, is effectively on the best way.
Plant-based fish and dairy, whereas seeing a major downturn in current months, remains to be a major a part of this.
When growing plant-based substitutes, components firms usually use soy, pea, and wheat protein. Dutch components firm Royal Cosun, nonetheless, focuses on growing plant-based merchandise from sugar beets and potatoes – crops with a variety of advantages.
As a result of they produce these merchandise in such abundance, they’ve a variety of aspect streams which they will put into plant-based analogues, in addition to various functions of those crops as fish and dairy analogues.
Creating plant-based alternate options from sugar beet pulp
In contrast to the potato, the sugar beet is a hardy crop and might face up to altering climatic pressures. “It is merely extra resilient, primarily based on the way it has advanced, how we have now developed it and likewise the crop itself,” Royal Cosun CEO Hans Meeuwis instructed FoodNavigator. Hotter climate, for instance, is ‘not adverse’ for the beet.
This makes it a dependable crop to make use of in plant-based analogues, as it may be produced with much less uncertainty than many different crops. Particularly, sugar’s aspect streams, similar to sugar-beet pulp, can be utilized as a useful ingredient in plant-based analogues.
Cosun has developed makes use of for the sugar beet pulp, which might normally be used solely in cattle feed, inside various proteins. “We have been searching for different functions for this product, which is a co-product; a by-product if you want,” Mathys Boeren, director for analysis, growth and innovation at Royal Cosun, instructed FoodNavigator. The corporate makes use of it in plant-based fish analogues and in falafel bites.
The sugar beet pulp holds the moisture within the fish analogue, which means that it doesn’t have the dry texture that’s widespread in lots of plant-based analogues. It additionally has a impartial style, which means that one doesn’t want so as to add further flavours similar to salt to cowl up the off-taste.
Compositionally, the sugar beet pulp is only one% sugar, a member of Royal Cosun’s staff instructed us, because the sugar is extracted. What’s left, they instructed us, is principally water and fibre. As a useful ingredient, it really works together with plant-based proteins.
The ingredient is “a foodstuff,” Boerun instructed us. “The buyer, on the finish of the day, will look behind the label and can wish to see it as clear there as attainable. On the identical time if we disappoint the buyer on style and texture, they could purchase it as soon as, however there’ll by no means be that repeat purchase.”
Creating dairy alternate options from potatoes
Potatoes, however, will be utilised for dairy analogues, for instance potato cheese. Alongside sugar, one in all Royal Cosun’s main companies is chips (fries), and with its large-scale manufacturing of potatoes can benefit from an ingredient it already provides to create new merchandise.
“So searching for various functions with the components that we have already got, as long as they reply the necessity of the buyer,” Boeren instructed us.
