Umami boost: Novozymes debuts yeast alternative enzymes for plant-based analogs

19 Jun 2020 --- Novozymes has launched two new enzymes that enable food manufacturers to produce meat alternatives with less salt and a clean label. The launch comes amid increasing consumer demand for low-salt, savory products based on natural and recognizable ingredients. At the same time, the rapidly growing market for plant-based analogs calls for vegetarian ways to recreate the umami taste of meat. Novozymes’ latest biological solution offers an alternative to yeast extract and traditional hydrolyzed vegetable proteins (HVP).

“Yeast extract is perceived as a natural ingredient, but some consumers in Europe nevertheless find it less desirable on the label because they would not cook with yeast extract in their own kitchens,” Trine Høje Andersen, Business Development & Launch Manager at Novozymes, tells FoodIngredientsFirst. 

To round off and enhance the umami taste of savory products such as meat analogs, soups, sauces and snacks while enabling salt reduction, food producers have the option to use yeast extract or HVP. Yeast extract is a natural source of umami, however, consumers tend to avoid products labeled with this ingredient because it is not perceived as kitchen-cupboard-like, just as some may perceive an off-taste.

Traditional HVP is free from any off-taste from yeast but is produced by means of chemicals and high energy consumption; processes that are often incompatible with natural claims and consumer preferences.

HVP can now be produced more sustainably, says Andersen, and in a cost-effective way using Novozymes newly developed enzymes. Novozymes Protana Prime and Protana UBoost enable the production of a natural flavor preparation at up to a 40 percent reduced cost-in-use compared to traditional enzymatic methods, according to Andersen.

Leveraging naturality
Unlike HVP produced by acid hydrolysis, enzymatically produced HVP is acceptable in the production of natural flavors in the EU. This enables producers to make a natural claim and market a product that has a perceived cleaner flavor.

“Protana Prime is a so-called exo-peptidase which means that it cleaves-off free amino acids from the ends of the intact protein molecule,” explains Andersen. “Protana UBoost is a so-called glutaminase that transforms the free amino acid named glutamine (with limited taste) to the free amino acid glutamic acid which has a strong umami taste and flavor-enhancing effect.” 

“Owing to its reduced cost-in-use, ingredients manufacturers can now offer a natural HVP as a cost-neutral, tasty and label-friendly alternative to yeast extract for savory food production,” he states. 

Novozymes’ in-house regulatory experts interpret the EU flavor directive such that the ingredient (i.e. the enzymatically HVP) can be labeled as a natural flavor preparation.”

Novozymes Protana Prime is a unique exo-peptidase blend releasing free amino acids from proteins. Applied in high dosages in combination with Alcalase an unsurpassed deep hydrolysis of proteins is obtained.

The full savory potential is captured when used together with Protana UBoost which transforms glutamine with limited taste into umami tasting glutamic acid. The efficiency of Protana Prime and the affordability of Protana UBoost bring natural plant-based flavor enhancers (eHVP) within reach for cost-neutral and label-friendly exchange of e.g. acid hydrolyzed vegetable proteins (aHVP) and yeast extracts.

This launch closely follows the Denmark-headquartered company unveiling its lactase enzyme Saphera Fiber, last month. This ingredient increases the content of fibers in milk-based offerings, while also reducing sugar in fermented and non-fermented dairy products. The company envisions an expanded range of applications for its solution, including in the early life nutrition market.

By Gaynor Selby and Benjamin Ferrer