Industry collaboration poised to unlock plant-based sensory potential and boost taste and texture

14 Dec 2022 --- Symrise is working with Wageningen University & Research (WUR) and other key industry players in a four-year research project to examine the factors that influence flavor release and sensory qualities of meat analogs. The partnership aims to develop alternative meat products with superior and consumer-attractive taste.

The research consortium also includes Nissin Food Holdings, Starfield Food & Science Technology, AAK, Vivera and GoodMills Innovation.

Symrise flags that some consumers are rejecting plant-based alternatives because “they are put off by the taste and texture of these products.”

“There is a lack of understanding of the links between food structure, (oral) structure breakdown, aroma release, and sensory perception of meat analogs. Flavor and texture are not similar to fibrous and juicy meats, and the lack of ‘juiciness’ potentially limits consumer acceptance and contributes to low flavor perception,” explains WUR.

Work to be done
The flavors business admits that there is “clearly” a difference in the current taste and mouthfeel of meat-based proteins compared to plant-based ones. 

“As part of the consortium project, we are looking into finding the relationship between the structure and the inherent characteristics of meat alternatives and are examining them. We want to understand how the product structure changes when people chew food and how it affects the perception of taste and mouthfeel,” says Katja Tiitinen, sensory and consumer insights director F&B for the EAME region at Symrise. 

Symrise flags that some consumers are rejecting plant-based alternatives because “they are put off by the taste and texture of these products.”Symrise will bring its team of researchers to the table, joining the other consortium scientists. 

In a turbulent macroeconomic environment Christian Gilleladen, principal application scientist at Chr. Hansen remarked to FoodIngredientsFirst how the fast-evolving plant-based industry is forcing businesses in the sector to join forces.

“There is a high level of technical and commercial uncertainty and we realize that we need to team up to share our know-how, experiences and deep knowledge.” 

Flavor knowledge
Particularly, Symrise plans to support the joint project with its expertise in understanding sensory characteristics of products on the markets, optimizing sensory performance and release of taste and flavor during chewing and by providing taste recipes. 

“As the first team of researchers on this topic worldwide – to the best of our knowledge – the consortium studies how the characteristics of meat alternatives change while chewing by combining in vitro and in vivo evaluations with sensory tests,” Tiitinen notes. 

“This research cooperation thus represents an important initiative for a sustainable lifestyle,” he highlights. 

Plant-based project objectives 
With the project focusing on oral processing and flavor release, the consortium aims to have achieved the following by the end of March 2025:

• Overview of mechanisms driving flavor and texture perception of meat analog models based on relationships between product structure & composition, oral processing and sensory perception.
• Guidelines for structuring and flavoring meat analogs, and improving the quality of protein ingredients and flavor blocks, to improve sensory quality and consumer acceptance that the food industry can apply throughout the food supply chain.
• Proofs-of-principle and comparison of meat analog products with meat products to give guidelines on how to improve sensory quality upon processing.

Innova Market Insights revealed in its Top Ten Trends for 2023 that consumers want to see improvements in taste and texture for plant-based products. Its fourth trend, Plant-Based: Unlocking a New Narrative, describes how plant-based has hit some roadblocks, which businesses have to work around, and refocus on consumer demands for high-quality, flavorful products. Companies need to keep on the move to continue advancing in the plant-based sector which is still believed to offer so many opportunities for growth

In a November report, the market researcher said that “for every consumer who believes [plant-based] alternatives taste better, there are slightly more who think that they taste worse.”

Plant-based moves
As the sector faces macroeconomic trouble, a myriad of intertwined trends and preferences and supply chain issues, companies need to keep on the move to continue advancing in the plant-based sector which is still believed to offer so many opportunities for growth. The plant-based is completely different in Europe, for instance, compared to the US where it has very little uptake in comparison. 

This week, Samah Garringer, business unit director of Proteins of the Future at DSM, told FoodIngredientsFirst that there is some consumer dissatisfaction with nutritional value, taste and texture in some existing plant proteins, which is leading to a sales slowdown in the sector. 

Garringer highlights how canola or rapeseed could revolutionize plant-based formulations and move away from soy, which, according to him, are falling “out of favor with consumers” for reasons like concerns about allergens, GMOs, hormones and environmental issues.

Other proteins, such as mycoprotein from fungus, are also trending. Beneo launched its first semi-finished plant-based product at FiE 2022, “chicken” chunks made with mycoprotein and pea protein. The launch follows the recent acquisition of Meatless.

The category is also witnessing more diverse and locally sourced proteins. Protein sourced from yeast or potato brings new nutritional and functional values while spreading out risk during times of price volatility and climate change. 

By Marc Cervera