Motif FoodWorks’ food tech partnerships to “solve sensory gaps” and manage astringency in plant-based eating

04 Aug 2021 --- Motif FoodWorks has inked two new partnerships with UK universities – King’s College London and Imperial College London – to understand better how the mechanics of eating impacts sensory attributes such as astringency in plant-based protein formulations.

In order to bring consumers better tasting, more nutritious plant-based foods, Motif aims to understand not only what makes their animal counterparts craveable, but where current animal-free options are lacking.

“Our current plant-based options fall short on sensory attributes like taste, texture and aroma – and without products that give the same eating experience as an animal-based one, consumers won’t become long-term plant-based customers,”  Stefan Baier, Motif FoodWorks' head of food science, tells FoodIngredientsFirst. 

The research is led by Baier in partnership with Professors Thomas Reddyhoff and Conor Myant at Imperial College London, and Professor Guy Carpenter at King’s College London.Plant-based food product researchers have found astringency to be “a long-standing challenge.”

“Meat alternatives are meant to mimic their animal-based counterparts in many ways, but an astringent sensation that gives a puckering mouthfeel is not part of the oral experience of animal-based products,” he remarks. 

An industry “blind spot?”
According to Baier, one of industry’s blind spots is the impact of saliva lubrication on how taste and texture is perceived, which is also a factor in removing the astringent sensation. 

Pairing oral biology and dental experts with automotive and mechanical engineers, and Motif’s team of food scientists means that each member group tackles a unique part of the solution – Imperial’s experts focus on the mechanical and lubrication physics of Motif’s ingredients, and the King’s team focuses on the role of saliva in the mouth during chewing. 

With their help, Motif has already developed a new way to measure astringency in the mouth. 

“This has helped our team uncover new data-driven insights that are already helping formulate better tasting plant-based food, which is crucial in bringing consumers a better eating experience,” Baier adds. 

Managing astringency, a dry, puckering mouthfeel often associated with foods such as coffee, tea and wine, has been a historical challenge in the food industry, particularly for plant-based products made from soybeans, peas or mycoproteins. 

Saliva and taste
Much of the food industry’s research to date has not accounted for the role of saliva as a variable in taste perception. 

Much like the role of motor oil in an engine, saliva influences the amount of friction present during chewing, and is a crucial part of an enjoyable eating experience. 

Researching how saliva interacts with food in the human mouth will enable Motif to develop a new way to measure astringency in plant-based foods, unlocking new opportunities for plant-based products that exceed consumer taste expectations.Motif’s partnerships with King’s and Imperial will explore these concepts further and continue through 2025, says Baier.

“So much about the impact of saliva on taste is still unknown, largely because it’s a challenging substance to study in an experimental setting,” adds Guy Carpenter, professor of oral biology at King's College London. 

“By partnering with Motif and collaborating across different disciplines with the mechanical engineers at Imperial, we’ll be able to make significant progress in the fundamental science behind what makes eating enjoyable, improving the performance of plant-based foods.”

The promise of plant-based foods
The partnerships are supported by both a London Interdisciplinary Doctoral program (LIDo) grant – the largest Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)-funded Doctoral Training Partnership in the UK – and an Imperial Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) grant. The four-year Ph.D. project at King’s will continue through 2025, and the two-year postdoctoral project at Imperial will continue through 2023.

The closely follow an exclusive licensing agreement with the University of Guelph and Coasun to improve the texture of plant-based meat and cheese alternatives, as well as ongoing research partnerships with the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Massachusetts Amherst and the University of Queensland. 

In June, Motif scored US$226 million in a series B funding round to bring transformative plant-based food technologies to market.

By Elizabeth Green