KaTech by Ingredion bolsters protein positioning with cheese, meat and seafood alternatives

28 Nov 2023 --- KaTech by Ingredion was present in London earlier this month at the Plant Based World Expo Europe, showcasing its range of stabilizers and emulsifier solutions for plant-based food categories. 

The start-up, founded in 2012, was acquired by Ingredion in 2021 and is active in texturizers, hydrocolloids and ingredient solutions for plant-based food applications, which are currently seeing huge growth.

During the trade show, the company presented a range of seafood, meat and dairy alternative concepts made using ingredients from Ingredion. 

Food Ingredients First spoke with Cyril Carrat, general manager at KaTech, who explained how the company first came about. 

Cyril Carrat, general manager at KaTech.“There are a lot of single ingredient manufacturers out there, but when you talk about texture, often the solution is being formed by combining different types of raw material categories. For example, you have proteins, emulsifiers, starches, hydrocolloids and different agents and fibers used to create texture.”

“The difficulty that we are seeing today is that our customers don’t know how to bring all of these elements together to create a desired texture,” he notes, adding, “that was how KaTech was formed, with this basis as our specialty.”

“We get to learn all the texturizing agents that are available. We have two pilot plants and a big development team. We are an application specialist and learned about all these raw materials,” Carrat continues. 

“We understand their strengths and limitations, and then we developed solutions for our customers based on their needs and the final textures they desire.”

Application success
KaTech’s ingredient solutions can be used in many food applications. The company initially focused on the dairy and convenience foods categories. 

“For us, in the beginning, we mainly presented our emulsifiers in sauces, dressings, ready meals and canned goods,” says Carrat.

“But when we saw the trends rising for plant-based and because we had a lot of customers that were working in those markets, we saw that with solutions and the way we work with texture, we could help that plant-based industry to evolve and improve the texture of those food applications.”

Early on in the category development, KaTech worked mainly in milk and cheese alternatives, and then plant-based meat analog came to fruition. 

“We have been evolving our solutions over the years, and that is what we are presenting at the Plant-Based World Expo. This year, we have decided to showcase a selection of plant-based dressings and mayonnaise. We also have some sandwich fillers, like plant-based prawn, chicken and egg,” explains Carrat. 

The mayonnaise used is enzyme-resistant, clean label and uses citrus fiber, so if it were used in a coleslaw, for example, the enzyme from the raw vegetables wouldn’t break the mayonnaise.

Protein enrichment
The company also has different cheese options, both blocked cheese and spreadable formats, which, according to Carrat, are “based on protein technology rather than non-modified starch, so that is something new.”The chefs at Ingredion experimented with a beetroot and horseradish clean label cracker.

Meanwhile, the start-up’s plant-based chicken is methylcellulose-free and also based on its protein technology. 

“Protein enrichment is a key area that we are trying to showcase,” he continues, adding that “it is possible to create texture with protein.”

The chefs at Ingredion also experimented with a beetroot and horseradish clean label cracker. 

“It’s not high in fat, sugar or salt. It has very little water availability, so it’s a good, long-lasting product. You could use it in snacking and convenience foods, and it is also made using a rice protein as well to keep it clean label,” notes the chef at KaTech’s stand. 

Regarding the concepts on the stand, KaTech and Ingredion have come together, pulled solutions from each area of expertise and developed the ideas and systems together.

“It’s important for us to be present at the Plant Based World Expo as it gives us the opportunities to have important discussions with our plant-based colleagues and peers working in this industry,” Carrat notes. 

“Developing bakery applications without egg and butter is the next area of focus for us.”

By Elizabeth Green