KEY INTERVIEW: Avebe Launches New Potato Protein to Address Consumer Trends

14 Nov 2016 --- Avebe is the world’s largest producer of starch potato ingredients. Founded in 1919, the cooperative is owned by 2,500 growers of starch potatoes in the Netherlands and Germany. Each year, the starch potatoes of those growers are processed into high-grade ingredients based on potato starch, protein and fibers which add value to food products.

Avebe will be launching a new potato protein at the Health Ingredient Europe (HiE) in Frankfurt, Germany (Nov 29 – Dec 1, 2016). This new potato protein isolate is called Solanic100. It combines a complete amino acid profile with excellent digestibility. This makes it highly suitable for protein enrichment of snacks, breakfast cereals or baked goods. 

FoodIngredientsFirst caught up with Marketing Director, Mylene Caussette, who explained the current market trends, in particular, the need for growth in protein. “Our core business is based around starch, and we are now moving into nutrition, this is a new space for Avebe. We have a position on texture for all our ingredients so that means we are looking at nutritional and healthy food concepts without compromising on taste and texture,” she explains. 

“If you look at current trends in the food market, convenience, food indulgence and health and wellness are the main trends, the challenge for us is to make sure that we are collecting our capabilities on texture and nutrition.”

Solanic 100 is a new potato protein isolate which perfectly fits in with a healthy lifestyle. It is derived from non-GM potatoes and therefore plant-based. With increasing health and sustainability concerns around animal based products; an increasing number of consumers are seeking for plant-based alternatives to meat and dairy products. Solanic100 is also gluten-free, soy-free and lactose-free making it highly suitable for vegan and ‘free from allergens’ formulations. 

Caussette adds: “There is a growing awareness among consumers about healthy nutrition and life style materialized by the growth of the flexitarian trend. A meal or snacking moment stays an experience rather than a nutritional goal. Avebe is dedicated to develop new nutritious, well-tasting, consistency-adapted and attractive food products that meet consumers demand for authenticity and traditional food products.”

Avebe is taking an active role in food supplementation by providing the food market with solutions for the development of healthy and highly nutritious concepts without giving in on taste and texture. We are just happy to take the challenge and bring to the market concepts that correspond to real needs and demand from consumers,” she continues, “Because consumers are all that should matter!”

According to the new FAO recommendations Solanic100 has a very high protein quality score because of its high level of essential amino acids and excellent digestibility. This score is called the Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid Score (DIAAS). Solanic100 has a DIAAS of 128% (based on the adult amino acid reference pattern) which is the highest DIAAS for any plant protein on the market. This makes Solanic100 the No.1 plant protein for nutrition.

According to Caussette, Solanic 100 can be used in various types of food applications, similar to other proteins available on the market, such as snacks, baked goods and convenience foods. 

“We are also looking at consumers trends using our database and discussions with the consumers,” says Caussette. “The stronger knowledge you get on the consumer side, the easier it is to translate back into the concepts in the ingredients we which we have available, that is what we are trying to strengthen, so we want to be sharper on all of these trends, and making sure we connect with consumers, then we can give out the right message.”

“What we are also seeing growing demand for solutions matching different needs or personal preferences. What we are trying to do is accommodate all these needs so that the consumer has a lot of choice. With our knowledge on textures, we can facilitate for this and our consumer can access indulgent foods for whatever diet they might be following at that time, we have to make sure we connect to the right needs in the current market.”

“Innovation is driven by consumer trends, we are even more and more into this, we are working on new concepts based on this in the market,” she adds. 

“On the product level side, we are moving towards bringing more concepts into the market for texture solutions, not only from starch but also for protein which adds value to the texturizing concepts that we bring to the food market,” explains Caussette. “We are active amongst others on confectionary, dairy, meat, so we are covering quite a span of applications. We have positioned recently several concepts in this area with our Etenia, Eliane and Perfectasol ranges.”

The challenge for Avebe, moving into the nutrition space, is to make sure to innovate towards what customers want. Caussette explains: “Our potato protein, which we are going to land at HiE, is something which we have been working on for some time, which is going to strengthen our portfolio.”

“It’s very exciting for us,” she adds. “It is a good challenge for us to make this happen.”

“At Avebe, sustainability is important to us,” Caussette notes, “We produce local and process local and that is appealing for the consumers.” 

“The demand for natural and clearer label comes hand in hand,” she continues, “At Avebe we have a nice story to tell and we are very transparent, our raw materials are produced and processed and then it ends up in a formulation somewhere, in the food industry, for the consumers.” 

by Elizabeth Kenward