How tempting is the meat-free movement? Thriving plant-based NPD redefining dietary desires

09 Oct 2019 --- Meat alternatives are enticing two-thirds of US consumers, according to the latest consumer research from Innova Market Insights, demonstrating the continuing boom in the space. Still considered to be very much a new and interesting trend, consumers are pulled in by the discovery element that meat-free offers, on top of other more ethically-driven and environmental factors. FoodIngredientsFirst examines the abundance of meat alternative and plant-based products hitting retail shelves and how the foodservice sector is tapping into the demands of adventurous consumers looking for meat-free options when dining out.

Restaurants and pubs are turning to exciting meat alternatives to bolster the menu, adding real and varied choices for those looking to reduce meat consumption, rather than just having the one vegetarian or vegan option. The “green appeal” of the plant-based boom shows no sign of abating. In fact, all forecasts are that is will continue to thrive and there is still plenty of room for growth potential. Manufacturers and food innovators have much to play in an increasingly lucrative meat alternative market.

Meat-free also received a welcome boost in August when the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved soy leghemoglobin as a color additive in uncooked ground beef analog products. This follows a 2018 petition (filed by meat alternative company Impossible Foods) to have the ingredient accepted as a color additive. Soy leghemoglobin imparts a reddish-brown color to meat analogs and is used by Impossible Foods as the “magic ingredient” to impart the “beefy flavor” in its products.

What’s in a “burger”? 
The word “burger” was once synonymous with well, meat. Not any more. Here is where meat-free is really making its mark. From Beyond Meat’s plant-based burger that “looks, cooks and satisfies like beef,” without the GMOs, soy or gluten, to Impossible Foods’ plant-based replacements for meat products – today’s burger menus are as diverse as the people eating them. 

Impossible Foods was recently honored at the 2019 United Nations Global Climate Action Awards for its products that are more sustainable and help displace market demand for meat products. The company states that its model proves three things – that consumers will “enthusiastically receive and pay for plant-based meat alternatives;” that this can be accomplished across all relevant sales channels that are necessary for impact scaling; and that their proprietary technology and food science platform can drive expansion across the entire industry, not just for Impossible Foods.

Last month, US vegetarian food innovator, Sweet Earth, which is owned by Nestlé, unveiled the “Awesome Burger,” a plant-based offering that signals its latest move in the meat-free market and competes with rival products from the likes of Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat. Nestlé offers Sweet Earth the infrastructure to produce enough burgers to meet the surge in consumer demand, with an industry that is predicted to grow tenfold over the next decade. Also debuting is Sweet Earth Awesome Grounds, which provide the same plant-based protein in a ground version that allows greater flexibility to cook meals and side dishes, such as meatballs and tacos.

In an in-depth interview with FoodIngredientsFirst recently, Kelly Swette, CEO and Co-Founder of Sweet Earth, explained how the Awesome Burger – which uses a yellow pea protein sourced from local US farmers – was created in a kitchen, not a lab, with a focus on achieving “awesome flavor and nutrition in wholesome ways.” 

“We believe plant-based burgers are inherently healthier because they are made from non-GMO plants and ours addresses areas of nutritional deficiency like fiber and potassium,” she said. “Only 3 percent of Americans get adequate fiber in their diets and meat doesn’t have any – the Awesome Burger has six grams of fiber in addition to 26 grams of protein. People eating plant-based foods don’t have to compromise on flavor while trying to eat healthier,” Swette affirmed.

Also last month, MorningStar Farms, a US division of the Kellogg Company that produces plant-based variations of traditional meat products, unveiled its latest addition to its plant-based portfolio with the entry of Incogmeato. The new product line includes the company’s first ready-to-cook plant-based burger to be sold on the refrigerated product aisle, and frozen, fully prepared plant-based chicken tenders and nuggets. The products are expected to hit US grocery stores and foodservice in early 2020.

The meat-free boom is also characterized by companies investing in increasing production capacity for some of the key ingredients that go into such plant-based products and creating concepts for plant-based meat alternatives. 

For instance, key plant-based proteins dominating the market include soybean and wheat-based. Earlier this year, Beneo, which offers functional ingredients derived from chicory roots, beet sugar, rice and wheat, inaugurated its Belgium-based BioWanze plant for texturized wheat protein (TWP), in cooperation with fellow Südzucker Group subsidiary CropEnergies. The move follows an investment of €4.3 million. BioWanze is a daughter company of CropEnergies and is the largest producer of bioethanol in Belgium. When running at full capacity, the plant will be capable of producing enough TWP to create one million vegetarian burger patties per day.

“With our plant in Wanze, we are well set for the growing interest in meat-free solutions,” Olivier Chevalier, Business Development Manager Meat Applications and Textured Wheat Protein at Beneo tells FoodIngredientsFirst. 

“The interest in plant-based meats is growing all around the world. The main drivers that we have identified are environmental concerns such as global warming, animal welfare and health. Growing awareness of these factors caused the initial rise in demand for alternative proteins but the trend has now gone mainstream – and in the near future, meat alternatives will be as common on menus as vegetarian options are today,” he says. 

The company’s proteins from wheat and rice add a protein source and also improve texture, while its rice starches improve texture and can aid with freeze-thaw stability, notes Chevalier, while Beneo’s chicory root fiber (inulin) can be used to replace fat while maintaining the desired, fat-like texture as well as providing a source of prebiotic fiber to the final product.  

“While wheat and soy remain very important, we are also now seeing pea and pulse proteins emerge in the market. Looking ahead, alongside these, we also expect to see a rise in use of other new sources like sunflower and linseed and are keeping a very close eye on their development,” Chevalier notes. 

Tackling taste challenges 
Combatting off-notes in plant-based protein and striking the balance between functionality, texture, taste, nutrition and cost are key challenges in the plant protein space. 

Amid the flurry of NPD within the plant-based space, flavor giant Givaudan has just launched a unique flavoring approach to transform the taste of plant-based meat alternatives. The flavor giants’ new techniques allow for extensive use of high moisture texturized vegetable proteins (TVP). 

Developed as part of Givaudan’s program in protein, these advancements have been the result of many hours of research, trial and learning, where even minute changes in flavor composition, water or temperature can have a dramatic effect on the end result.

“Givaudan has studied how to best flavor high moisture texturized protein and has developed strategies to maximize performance and produce a much longer-lasting authentic meat flavor which, when combined with post-texturizing marinating, transforms the taste experience of plant-based texturized vegetable protein,” explains Dr. Flavio Garofalo, Global Category Director, Savory Flavors and Natural Ingredients.

“Vegetable protein’s globular format is transformed into longer fibers to produce a meat-like texture by extrusion, essentially a kneading process similar to that of bread making. This has been successful in terms of texture, but not so much in terms of taste.” 

“It is almost as much of an art as a science. In addition to great flavor, there is also texture and mouthfeel to consider, and we have developed the whole package,” Dr. Garofalo states.

What’s next?
Plant-based meat will continue to be re-envisioned, particularly as a growing number of consumers are recognizing that less meat in their diet is good for them and the planet. Players big and small will enter and broaden the segment. However, some plant-based meat alternatives often do not live up to their expectations and consumers are also wise to the finer details of the ingredients lists, something manufacturers will have to keep in mind to maintain a clean and clear label status as well as high-quality taste, texture and mouthfeel of meat-free products and avoid a backlash. 

By Gaynor Selby