Lallemand Bio-Ingredients shakes up vegan flavors with pork-inspired range

03 Dec 2021 --- After a year in development, Lallemand Bio-Ingredients has unveiled a new range of yeast-based flavors for the meat and plant-based protein markets. Savor-Lyfe P series replicates ham-style pork, roasted cuts and bacon-like smoked meat, as showcased live from Food Ingredients Europe (FiE) in Frankfurt, Germany.

“We’ve previously launched vegan yeast-based flavors for beef, fish and chicken yeast-based flavor,” Christian Heiss, sales director for Europe and Asia-Pacific (EMEA APAC) tells FoodIngredientsFirst from FiE.

“And now for this trade show we have finalized and introduced the pork flavor range.” 

The company took its lead from the market trends that showed that consumers crave variety beyond beef-like burgers when selecting plant-based alternative meats. 

Christian Heiss, sales director for EMEA APAC.Savor-Lyfe provides an easy-to-apply solution that boosts the flavor profile of both plant-based and traditional meat products, ready meals and snacks.

R&D challenges for pork flavor
“We started the project around 12 months ago. Then we did our internal evaluation with our application partner in Tallinn, Estonia,” explains Heiss.

This process was followed by some sensory studies followed by the further optimization of the final taste. 

Lallemand selected three trial customers, two in the UK and one in Australia. “Based on that feedback, we decided which taste profiles and which intensity of the product was the right fit,” says Heiss.

The company is also testing vegan applications of meatballs, patties and lasagne.

Much ado about pork flavor status
Another important avenue broached by Lallemand is being kosher, halal and non-GMO Project verified.

Halal-certified foods are expanding beyond the meat sector and appealing to consumers outside of the global Muslim community, according to experts previously speaking at Anuga 2021. 

As a result, the company is presented with a barrier when using the “pork flavor” claim. “It’s not allowed, of course. So we do not say this is pork, we say this is under our flavor category or flavor family name,” explains Heiss. 

Lallemand worked to obtain the right taste based on enzymatic reactions, processing time and temperature. This allows for the right amino acid and peptide compositions to be reached.The Lallemand stand at FiE, Frankfurt.

Cream cheese on the horizon
The company also has some more user base flavors in the pipeline, which are specifically designed for the dairy category.

In 2022, Lallemand will launch a range of plant-based cheeses including cream cheese, a mild cheese and an aged cheese, Heiss reveals.

The rise in consumer demand for plant-based products also prompted Palsgaard to conduct extensive research into the plant-based market on milk alternatives, dairy-free yogurts and frozen desserts.

Innova Market Insights’ consumer research flags the need for choice and multiple product positionings as “there is no single definition of a plant-based customer.” 

By Inga de Jong, with additional reporting by Katherine Durrell from FiE and HiE in Frankfurt