This expectation is clear from multiple market research studies. The Planteneers company of Ahrensburg, Germany, shows how manufacturers can meet demand using plant-based sausage and cold cuts as examples.
Planteneers developed its fiildMeat S 111404 system to make affordable plant-based foods accessible to as many people as possible, without compromising on quality, texture or flavour.
The system enables the manufacture of cold cut alternatives like lyoner, fleischwurst and salami and is based on functional plant proteins combined with hydrocolloids.
To provide a cost-optimised solution, Planteneers first identified the price drivers, as Product Manager Rebecca Bohlmann explains: “We could most readily leave out the modified starch."
"Of course that meant we needed to substitute for the starch functionality. In plant-based sausage and cold cuts, starch prevents syneresis. We achieve the same effect through a clever combination of the other hydrocolloids.”
Making optimum use of protein functionality
Alongside the right choice of hydrocolloids, the proteins are important. This system uses soy and pea proteins from Europe. Soy protein features good functionality, an attractive amino acid profile and neutral taste.
European provenance also means short transportation routes for the raw material, and as a concentrate soy protein is less heavily processed than an isolate. Pea protein has proven a good adjunct as it gives the final product the necessary firmness and stability.
However, the use of soy protein concentrate also brings with it special challenges. Its somewhat darker colour compared to the isolate can be compensated with colouring foods.
Rebecca Bohlmann: “As these are typically not very heat-stable, the dosage form and amount need to be very precisely adapted to the end product to give plant-based cold cuts a fresh, natural colour.”
The processing technology is of central importance for an appealing texture. “It’s all about the right shear in the cutter and the ideal processing temperature,” says Bohlmann.
“Our technologists and applications researchers at the Stern Technology Center simulate and test the production process on pilot plant.
This let us develop a cost-optimised recipe for plant-based cold cuts that also meets consumer expectations in terms of flavour, colour and texture.”
Additional storage testing ensures that the final products keep these qualities through their entire storage period to the end of the best-before date.
In fiildMeat S 111404, the synergies and interactions between the ingredients are used to maximum effect. The basic compound provides the typical firmness and texture of various cold cut specialities.
The desired variety-specific properties of the final product are adjusted with the help of added components. Thanks to this modular structure, manufacturers get products tailored to market demands and consumer preferences. Best of all, these cold cut alternatives fit consumer budgets.