IFFA 2022: Plant-based launches branch out with chicken popcorn bites, Mexican nachos and Thai dishes

17 May 2022 --- In the savory foods sector, traditional meat companies are steadily branching out of space with offerings of plant-based protein innovations.

Evidencing this, the traditionally meat-heavy IFFA 2022 trade show in Frankfurt, Germany, is currently spotlighting a broad swathe of meatless concepts including reiterations of chicken popcorn bites, Mexican nachos and Thai dishes.

FoodIngredientsFirst reports live from the show floor of the ongoing event, which is shining a light on functional ingredient solutions for savory meats and vegan options from Kerry, Bunge and Kalsec.

Experimenting with smoke and umami
Evidencing IFFA’s expansion out of the traditional meat category, taste and nutrition giant Kerry presented a diverse range of meat- and plant-based offerings at the show.

Chickenless popcorn with a crunchy Taiwanese-inspired coating by Kerry.In the meat category, the company introduced its beef-based Smoky Umami Sliders, which are cooked up with a seasoning blend of fermented ingredients, natural flavors and smoke to deliver a moreish, juicy flavor.

Kerry’s Pork Frankfurter also debuted – made with smoke flavoring, lactate-free preservation and no phosphates – as well as its Big Flavour Mini Chicken Fillets, which were were served with a home-style coating containing the new LightBake crumb for a lingering umami sensation.

In addition, Kerry’s BBQ Wings smoky flavor-infused chicken wings were served in two ways – Classic and Salt & Sugar Reduced.

For the plant-based segment, Kerry’s Porkless Laab was showcased as a take on the celebrated Thai pork dish. It offers a savory, meaty-base with notes of coriander, ginger, garlic, onion and mint.

Bite-sized chickenless popcorn bites were also served at the stand, made from pea protein. The chunks of plant-based chicken are coated with a crunchy Taiwanese-inspired coating.

“So the base itself is based on pea protein with a built-in masker to cover some of those green, better notes that you sometimes get from pea protein. So with our built-in masker, we have a more neutral base from which we can start to build our technologies on top of it,” Jordan Landy, R&D technologist at Kerry, tells FoodIngredientsFirst.

Next up were the company’s No-Beef Sliders, a meatless burger concept designed with the ideal bite, delivering notes of smoke and grill throughout the eating experience. It is marketed as free from methylcellulose.

Reduced Sodium Turkey Ham Reduced Sodium Turkey ham with acetate-based preservation and salt perception with Tastesense Salt technology.

Porkless chorizo and fava bean-based nacho cheese
Bunge was on the show floor exhibiting its new plant-based cheesy chorizo nacho concept.

“It’s got all of the flavor, texture and experience of a real chorizo nacho, with the cheese sauce and sour cream also being 100% plant-based,” explains Mark Stavo, global marketing director of Bunge.

“We’ve got pilot plants for meat, alternative meat and dairy pilot plants. We can take a benchtop idea concept – like a chorizo nacho – from the benchmark phase and scale that up toward a pilot plant launch.

Bunge used three different core types of ingredients from its portfolio to create its plant-based cheesy chorizo nacho concept – textured soy protein, coconut oil and soy lecithin.

“All of these ingredients together have different benefits,” notes Stavo. “The textured soy protein provides structure and juiciness in the meat analog, while the coconut and sunflower oils provide succulence.”

“In the cheese sauce, fava bean protein is key for helping the melt profile. Meanwhile, the coconut oil provides creaminess and texture for the sauce – as it also does for our pea-based sour cream component.”

DuraShield Natural Food Protection Blends by Kalsec combine traditional natural antioxidant products with natural antimicrobial solutions.Natural food protection blends
Kalsec – a global supplier of natural spice and herb extracts, colors, food protection and hop extracts for the food and beverage industry – is presenting its DuraShield Antimicrobial Natural Food Protection Blends at IFFA 2022.

DuraShield Natural Food Protection Blends combine traditional natural antioxidant products, like rosemary and acerola extracts, with natural antimicrobial products, such as cultured dextrose and buffered vinegar.

This product has been found to extend shelf life and promote food safety in a variety of applications, including meat and poultry, deli salads, dips, sauces and dressings.

“Our DuraShield antimicrobial and antioxidant blends balance scientifically proven functional efficacy, flavor and aroma management systems to ensure the highest quality solutions that protect your brand,” comments Jane Quartel, executive director of product management, food protection, at Kalsec.

Additionally, DuraShield is a unique 2-in-1 solution, where the ingredients are more powerful united than they are alone. 

“Food manufacturers face extended distances of distribution channels, increasing demand for longer shelf life and consumer demand for short, simple product labels,” Quartel notes.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that each year, 16% of Americans get sick from contaminated foods or beverages and 3,000 people die. Additionally, the US Department of Agriculture estimates an annual loss of more than US$15.6 billion due to foodborne illnesses.

Kalsec is first launching DuraShield Food Protection Blends in the US. Future rollouts into other global regions are forthcoming.

By Benjamin Ferrer