The ‘protein transition’, the swap many imagine that we (the human race, that’s) might want to make away from animal sources of protein in direction of various sources, is effectively on the way in which.
Plant-based meat, fish and dairy options, whereas seeing a major downturn in latest months, continues to be a major a part of this.
When creating plant-based substitutes, elements firms typically use soy, pea, and wheat protein. Dutch agricultural cooperative Royal Cosun, nevertheless, develops plant-based merchandise utilizing sugar beets and potatoes (it additionally develops plant-based options utilizing cichorei and plant-based options utilizing fava beans.)
As a result of they produce these merchandise in such abundance, they’ve a spread of aspect streams which they’ll put into plant-based options, in addition to various functions of those crops in meat, fish and dairy options.
Growing plant-based options from sugar beet pulp
Royal Cosun goals to deal with utilising its crops, together with the side-streams, to develop plant-based options. The corporate’s focus is on “unlocking the total potential of our crops, together with the aspect streams,” Royal Cosun CEO Hans Meeuwis instructed FoodNavigator.
The sugar beet is one such crop. It’s a hardy crop and might stand up to altering climatic pressures, Meeuwis toldus. “It is a robust and resilient crop.”
Its aspect streams, equivalent to sugar-beet pulp, can be utilized as a useful ingredient in plant-based options.
Cosun has developed makes use of for the sugar beet pulp, which might normally be used primarily in cattle feed. “We have been in search of different functions for this product, which is a co-product; a by-product if you want,” Mathys Boeren, director for analysis, improvement and innovation at Royal Cosun, instructed FoodNavigator. The corporate makes use of it in plant-based fish or meat options and in falafel bites and burgers.
The sugar beet pulp holds the moisture within the fish or meat options, which means that it doesn’t have the dry texture that’s frequent in lots of plant-based options. It additionally has a impartial style, which means that one doesn’t want so as to add further flavours equivalent to salt to cowl up the off-taste.
Compositionally, the sugar beet pulp is just one% sugar, a member of Royal Cosun’s crew 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 different elements equivalent to plant-based proteins.
The ingredient is “a foodstuff,” Boeren instructed us. “The buyer, on the finish of the day, will look in the back of the label and can need to see it as clear there as attainable. On the similar time if we disappoint the patron on style and texture, they could purchase it as soon as, however there’ll by no means be that repeat purchase.”
Growing dairy options from potatoes
Potatoes, then again, could be utilised for dairy options, for instance potato ‘cheezz’. “Opposite to common cheese . . . potato ‘cheezz’ doesn’t include (saturated) fats and salt,” Royal Cosun instructed us. Alongside sugar, certainly one of 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 in search of various functions with the elements that we have already got, as long as they reply the necessity of the patron,” Boeren instructed us.
