Plant-based proteins are sometimes utilized in meat and dairy analogues, and from time to time in egg analogues. Their goal is to supply flexitarian, vegetarian and vegan shoppers with an expertise which compares carefully with meat and dairy in style, texture and dietary worth.
Nevertheless, there’s way more potential for plant-based proteins than merely changing meat and dairy. At Meals Substances Europe (FIE), which happened in Frankfurt, Germany, FoodNavigator discovered a spread of makes use of for plant-based proteins that went past meat and dairy analogues.
Roquette: Including texture to meals
In June this 12 months, French elements firm Roquette opened a new meals innovation centre, positioned in its plant close to the village of Lestrem, France. One of many principal features of the centre is to innovate utilizing Roquette’s key elements, 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 will 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. . . fairly 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. “We’ve a devoted pea protein which isn’t competing with the gluten, so which means you possibly can 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 residence I exploit pea protein texturised to interchange the meat within the lasagne. It actually performs the position 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 provides you the mouthfeel so it may be actually big selection of proposal in savoury, in candy. So we have now actually open doorways for the pea protein as a software.”
ChickP: A well-recognized style
“We’ve now a pure protein. A pure protein is the very best worth provide to the meals business, as a result of you possibly can incorporate it in so many functions.” So stated Liat Lachish Levy, CEO of Israeli startup ChickP.
The startup’s chickpea protein isolate will be utilised in a wide range of merchandise, starting from dairy analogues, together with cheese and barista’s milk, to different, fortified merchandise, similar to granola-based cereal and power bars. Due to its lack of bitterness and recognisability in dishes like hummus, which have been eaten for tons of of years, the protein gives a wonderful foundation for a useful 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 awesome resolution and pure resolution within the house of lively diet.” Chickpea, in contrast to soy, is just not an allergen and thus will be extra versatile.
Primarily, although, the attraction of chickpea comes from an elevated demand for prime protein content material in a spread of meals, fairly 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 when it comes to style, suits the invoice effectively.
“The necessity for protein as being a useful ingredient comes from the patron. Shoppers are searching for another, 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 elements firm MycoTechynology additionally develops proteins supposed for a variety of makes use of. One such protein is its FermentIQ protein, which is created from protein fermented in shiitake mycelia.
MycoTechnology’s protein, by its fermentation, loses most of its flavour, making it straightforward to make use of in a large number of merchandise. “What you begin with is at all times style,” Pete Lubar, EVP Enterprise Growth & Co Founder at MycoTechnology, informed FoodNavigator.
“In the event you naturalise the odour and style of pea protein and rice protein, then you are able to do some actually wonderful 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 – we have now 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 up almost 100% of the amino acids which can be in FermentIQ.”
