Protein reinvented? Companies showcase award-winning meat and plant-based concepts at IFE Manufacturing

28 Mar 2024 --- Protein enrichment was a hot topic at the International Food & Drink Event (IFE) Manufacturing event in London this week. Among the innovators was Ukrainian company MHP, the largest producer and exporter of chicken in the country and in the plant-based foodservice space, Novameat, who spoke to us about its deli turkey-style meat and pulled “meat” concepts.

MHP specializes in the production of chicken and, in particular, the cultivation of cereals, as well as other agricultural activities, including the manufacturing of meat and sausage products and ready-to-eat meat products. 

At IFE, the company showcased its novel twist on protein snacking: dried chicken breast slices. 

The concept was honored at the World Food Innovation Awards 2024, hosted at IFE’s opening day. MHP won Best Meat/Poultry amid three other finalists who showcased turkey and chicken products. Speaking to Food Ingredients First, Victoria Grekova, head of export sales at the company said: “We are thrilled to receive recognition for our product, which we believe reflects our commitment to quality and innovation in the snack industry. This award inspires us to continue pushing the boundaries and delivering exceptional products to our customers. We are grateful for this recognition and excited about the opportunities it brings.”

Harnessing high protein content
Ahead of winning the award, Grekova told us: “Our innovation is available in a variety of flavors and we don’t use any oil or frying methods in our production because we don’t want to lose protein content.”

In food formulations, an increase in temperature leads to a loss of proteins, she says. “The way that we dehydrate the chicken slices means the product has a unique structure; it’s crispy, like potato chips, but doesn’t use any potato.”

Victoria Grekova, head of export sales at MHP.“We only add a little flavoring, no sugar or other preservatives because we want to keep the structure representative of chicken,” notes Grekova. 

“We aren’t competitive with jerky or other meat snacks and are focused on people who want to have a healthy meat protein snack and are tracking their daily protein intake.”

According to Grekova, “a lot of protein bars have undesirable ingredients and they aren’t always tasty. With our chicken sliced snacks, you can eat them on-the-go or in the car and they are a very convenient health food product.” 

For instance, one serving pack contains 81% of protein, so the concepts are “appealing to health-conscious consumers.”

There are four flavors of dried chicken breast slices, including Honey and Mustard, Red Paprika and Pepper, Soy Sauce and Chili Pepper. 

Plant-based foodservice options
Also at IFE Manufacturing, Spanish-founded start-up and foodservice supplier Novameat is harnessing opportunities for chefs in the foodservice arena to take plant-based dishes to the next level. 

Beatrix Ellis, commercial strategy lead, tells us that the company wants to supply healthier meat alternatives that can be cooked and designed similarly to conventional meat dishes.

“We are specifically a foodservice brand because that’s where we feel there’s a real gap in the market when people go out to eat. We want to make plant-based options more exciting, more innovative and more than a plant-based burger,” she says. 

“That’s why we are here; we want to showcase a product to catering companies, hotels and restaurants that their chefs can create the same dishes but with plant-based meat alternatives.”Novameat is harnessing opportunities for chefs in the foodservice arena to take plant-based dishes to the next level.

The second reason why the company is exhibiting at IFE is to “inspire healthier food options that don’t use stigma-attached ingredients such as methylcellulose and carrageenan,” underscores Ellis. 

Some of these ingredients are very complex and we [humans] can’t always digest them very well, she adds. 

Instead, Novameat uses clean ingredients and proteins such as fava bean, seaweed extract and a little sunflower oil. Ellis says everything is cooked using a mild temperature to avoid bitterness and obtain a natural, clean flavor. 

Reinventing healthy plant-based meats
Ellis was sporting a t-shirt with the tagline: “Plant-based meat, reinvented.” She remarks: “The reinvention may be a bold statement, but to us, it’s reinvention into health. We want to change the story and reputation about plant-based meat and show how our tasty products can positively impact personal health and the planet.”

Commenting on the company’s range of alt-meats, she says: “We have four different ready-to-cook products: a shredded beef, a pulled chicken, our chicken mini filets and deli turkey meat, which is very novel in the plant-based world.”

Ellis tells us that the products are designed to slot into menus where you would typically use meat. Last year at the Plant Based World Expo, the company won an award for its turkey-style deli meat. 

Beatrix Ellis, commercial strategy lead, tells us that the company wants to supply healthier alternatives to meat.“The deli meat is a nice showcase of how we work with the food industry because we send our product to a pastrami house in Barcelona, and they make it into deli meat by putting spices around it just as they would with traditional meat pastrami,” she explains. 

With future plans to expand the range, the company maintains that sourcing European ingredients is an integral part of their business, especially pea protein, which is the “shining star” of the company’s products. 

“We’ve got some exciting stuff in the pipeline. Our pulled meat products are our best-sellers currently because they are reminiscent and so easy to incorporate into anything, but the next thing we are working on is enhanced beef,” she concludes. 

By Elizabeth Green, reporting live from the IFE Manufacturing event in London