Ojah launches “the world’s first vegan ribs,” made with yellow pea ingredients

18 Nov 2019 --- Plant-based ingredients producer Ojah BV, well-known for its chicken-alternative Plenti, will launch the world’s first vegan ribs in December, during the Food Ingredients Europe (FiE) trade show held in Paris, France. The ribs are made with Ojah’s newly developed yellow pea-based texture, called Heppi.

“For the past six years, Ojah has been working on extending its high moisture extruded (HME) ingredients portfolio,” explains Joeri Hollink, Head of Product Development at Ojah. “We were focussed on developing a new texture, based on a different protein source than soya, but with the same ‘wow factor’ as Plenti.” 

Heppi is a yellow pea-based HME texture that delivers the bite, mouthfeel and juiciness of meat that carnivores appreciate. It is 100 percent plant-based and full of proteins, making it ideal for consumers who want to reduce their meat intake but still want a meat-like eating experience. 

Heppi is a yellow pea-based HME texture that delivers the bite, mouthfeel and juiciness of meat that carnivores appreciate.“With the debut of the world’s first vegan ribs during FiE, Ojah demonstrates how Heppi can be used to mimic pork ribs naturally and without the bone,” adds Hollink. 

The world’s first vegan ribs are 100 percent pea-based, additive-free, gluten-free and low in carbohydrates. 

The ribs come as a “rack” of approximately ten ribs, making them ideal for grilling on a barbecue or for warming-up in the oven. As the ribs are boneless, they can be served on a bun to create a vegan rib burger, notes Hollink, who further highlights that “the vegan ribs will seduce even hardcore meat lovers.”

To manage the expected strong demand, Ojah will initially launch the ribs in Dutch foodservice outlets. In the second half of 2020, Ojah plans to expand production capacity and make Heppi available to preferred food manufacturing partners. 

Heppi, the technological development behind Ojah's plant-based ribs, is an HME texture made from yellow peas and water. Nothing else is added and with a minimal ingredient list and a protein content of 25 percent, Heppi also delivers from a nutritional point of view. 

In May 2018, FoodIngredientsFirst reported that Kerry’s joint venture with Ojah & Korys boosted plant protein innovation. This joint venture combined Ojah’s proprietary technology to produce “best-in-class” plant-based protein products, with Kerry’s 40 years of food-focused heritage, its extensive global insights and marketplace knowledge, as well as its culinary and applications expertise.

Last April, Kerry purchased Ojah for €20 million (US$24.6 million). Founded in 2009, Ojah manufactures around 1,600 metric tons of its Plenti brand meat substitute annually and the product is claimed to have a meat-like structure and can be processed similarly to pork, chicken, fish or beef.

Edited by Elizabeth Green