Plant-based flavors: Neutralizing off-notes, developing desirable flavor profiles and boosting clean label

26 Jun 2024 --- The plant-based evolution continues to thrive, with more demand from a global consumer base seeking non-animal F&B solutions. The rate of commercial launches may have slightly eased off in recent years, partly due to inflation, the cost-of-living crisis, and worldwide conflicts weighing heavy on supply chains, but this isn’t stopping leaders in the space from innovating plant-based products on a deeper, more sophisticated level.

Recently, plant-based food formulation has been geared toward improving taste and texture and crucially, cleaning up the label of plant-based ingredients. A big part of this is flavors.

Improving flavor quality 
Food Ingredients First speaks to several key flavor players addressing the challenges in plant-based meat alternatives and innovating solutions to help brands push the needle in plant-based taste, moving beyond simple mimicry and overcoming the undesirable off-notes associated with plant-based ingredients. 

“Plant-based flavor innovation continues to be at the heart of plant-based new product development, as the need to meet consumer expectations has never been so important. Improvements to the sensory experience are essential to ensure repurchases and, in the longer term, the growth of the category. It is also important that we help consumers toward more balanced diets by offering them tasty plant-based options that work as part of their everyday lives,” says Sonia Huppert, innovation marketing leader, Re-Imagine Proteins at International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF). 

“IFF is committed to developing new solutions to improve flavor quality in plant-based alternatives, covering milk and dairy alternatives, meat alternatives and any product with high plant protein levels.” 

Masking technologies and flavor modulation
One illustration of that commitment is IFF embarking on a collaborative initiative with Unilever and Wageningen University & Research (WUR) to research protein-flavor interactions to address flavor challenges in plant-based meat alternatives. 

“It’s a four-year project exploring how flavors bind to protein molecules. The goal is to overcome the beany off-notes and bitterness that are common in plant-based meat alternatives, and which commonly have to be masked. Advances in this area will benefit a range of sectors from alt dairy to high-protein products.”

Kelly Newsome, senior global marketing manager of Colors & Savory Flavors at ADM, discusses the critical factors of taste and texture, specifically the company’s recent research finding that global plant-forward consumers (defined as flexitarians, vegetarians or vegans) say improved taste and texture are motivating them to consume more plant-based products. 

“We’re supporting forward movement in the plant-based space through exemplary taste experiences with our innovative flavor solutions, technologies, and plant-based ingredients and systems. For plant-based products to succeed and entice consumers to make repeat purchases, they must taste authentic, delivering the expected flavors and mouthfeel of, for example, traditional chicken, beef, pork and seafood,” she says.

IFF is collaborating with Unilever and Wageningen University & Research to research protein-flavor interactions to address flavor challenges in plant-based meat alternatives. “Through our unique, extensive and holistic approach to flavor and protein formulation development, our expert flavorists have created exceptional savory flavors, including our new flavor innovations for chicken, beef and pork, along with white fish-, cod fish-, salmon-type flavors and more, to differentiate plant-based meat alternatives.”

Roberto Faria, principal flavorist, Culinary at IFF, further details how the production of proteins involves several processes such as extraction, concentration and extrusion. These can generate a change in the protein structure and affect its profile, resulting in undesirable off-notes. For instance, astringency from heated and denatured protein or bitterness from peptides or saponin. 

“With IFF‘s innovative masking technologies, we can now enhance taste perception and eliminate undesirable off-notes, ensuring a pleasant eating experience. It is important to understand how masking technology works to be able to choose the right solution for specific end-uses. Once the challenge of masking off-notes is completed, it is time to work on bringing deliciousness. The benefits of IFF‘s umami taste solutions are particularly exciting, as they bring a richness and depth to plant-based foods that were previously hard to achieve,” he tells us. 

Creating authentic taste 
Alongside flavor innovations, ADM leverages its culinary vegan bases, broths and stocks to bring in authentic, savory taste profiles and cooking cues that consumers prefer. 

“Our quality flavor and culinary solutions, combined with our expertise in flavor modulation and masking, enable us to deliver comprehensive solutions that can overcome formulation hurdles and spotlight key sensory attributes,” says Newsome.

Most recently, ADM introduced its proprietary TasteSpark flavor modulation and masking technologies, which provide much-needed mouthfeel and taste support in some plant-based foods and beverages with high protein content. Certain plant-based ingredients can pose sensory challenges to product developers, as these ingredients may have inherent “beany” or “earthy” notes or impart gritty textures. 

“Combining our clean-tasting plant proteins with our TasteSpark masking technology neutralizes off-notes and helps desirable flavor profiles shine through. On top of that, our TasteSpark flavor modulation technology builds back crucial mouthfeel components in meat-free and dairy-free products, aiding in functionality and smoothing out textures and mouthfeel.”

“Also, within our vast natural flavors portfolio, our quality vanilla extracts and ingredients not only bring forth unique, regional vanilla notes, but they also help improve the overall taste experience in plant-based dairy alternatives, supporting the perception of creamy and rich profiles often associated with dairy products. We pair our vanilla ingredients with our dairy-type flavors to emulate expected dairy notes in plant-based frozen desserts, yogurts, spreads and beverages.”

Another recent ADM culinary innovation is its Creamy Vegan Culinary Base, which replicates the mouthfeel and texture of traditional dairy cream. It has a neutral aroma, color, and good functionality, delivering on important fatty richness and mitigating off-notes or discoloration. This enables the development of dairy-free sauces such as tzatziki to elevate plant-based gyros or flavorful curries that traditionally use dairy cream.

Flavors in bakery
Puratos offers a complete range of innovative products in bakery, pastry and chocolate applications for artisans, industrial, retail and Horeca (hotel, restaurant, and café/catering channels). Laurent Thomé, business unit director of plant-based solutions, explains how replacing animal-derived ingredients with 100% plant-based alternatives has become a viable,  even smart, option for bakers over recent years. 

“Plant-based ingredients are a convenient, cost-effective choice in the face of fluctuating egg, butter and cream costs. They are also a way to meet growing consumer demand for vegan bakery, patisserie and chocolate products, especially given the rising number of people with allergies. What’s more, it’s an opportunity to boost sustainability credentials and provide extra appeal for consumers looking for bakery products with reduced saturated fat and cholesterol.”

“The challenge, however, is ensuring the same great taste and texture without the use of animal-based ingredients. For example, replicating the sought-after buttery texture of croissants, brioches and cakes, or recreating the decadence of cream-filled sweet favorites.”

Finding a non-dairy substitute for fat can be particularly challenging, as it can account for up to 40% of a bakery recipe. ADM introduced its proprietary TasteSpark flavor modulation and masking technologies, which provide mouthfeel and taste support in some plant-based foods.

Thomé points to Puratos' Mimetic plant-based butter and margarine alternatives to provide the same texture, buttery flavor and workability. 

“The multi-purpose portfolio can be used in direct, frozen and long shelf life applications, either via lamination or incorporation into dough, while reducing environmental impact, improving cost efficiencies and lengthening shelf life,” he says. 

What’s coming next?
Demand is high for meat alternatives and dairy alternatives. Thanks to innovative technologies and a growing understanding of the interactions between flavor, protein and processing, solutions are readily available, Huppert points out.

“Through our Greenfield Design initiative, we’re pushing through traditional boundaries to re-imagine the plant-based industry. The goal is to transform the landscape, pioneer new opportunities for growth, and ultimately change the way the world eats. It offers manufacturers cutting-edge research from IFF experts and the latest market insights, with a focus on areas like taste and texture.”

“Strategies include the use of umami, fermentation and other flavor technologies to improve taste and texture and to bring consumers into the category with an aim to rebalance protein intake between plant and animal proteins.”

In the future, IFF expects the plant-based market to evolve beyond the traditional model of mimicking meat into completely new and unprecedented formats.

“However, our research shows that although today’s consumers want innovative plant-based meals, they’re not yet ready for completely new eating experiences. This means that, in order to succeed, brands must strike a balance between familiarity and innovation while ensuring that, above all, their plant-based products are delicious,” Huppert summarizes.

Thomé says it’s an “exciting time” for plant-based bakery, with plenty of new developments on the horizon. “This year, we’re looking at how to replicate the different butter aromas from around the world — since they have a range of distinct sensory profiles. We’re working on tailoring our Mimetic portfolio to provide regional options, which will help bakers make the switch from dairy-based butter considering increasing prices and reduced availability.”

“Ensuring a greater variety of plant-based ingredients is another priority for us this year. We’re looking at broadening our Sunset Glaze egg wash replacement portfolio to enable the specific coloration of baked goods — for added consumer appeal. Plus, we’re building on the functionality of our plant-based cream solutions to replace their dairy counterparts and ensure long-lasting stability and a smooth texture. This will involve expanding our Ambiante family of whippable toppings to include additional flavors that consumers love,” she concludes.

Newsome adds that ADM’s flavourists and formulation experts are firmly committed to exploring what’s next as the plant-based protein space continues to evolve with novel protein sources and formats.

“Hybrids or blends that combine different protein sources are also helping to diversify this sector and support the adoption and acceptance of new ingredients and technologies, taking the best taste and texture components from each source,” she shares.

“We’re continually developing proprietary, innovative flavor solutions and coupling those with new technologies, including TasteSpark and our ever-expanding culinary portfolio to target specific formulation requirements and desired sensory attributes for the next generation of plant-based products.”

By Gaynor Selby