A quick look at any grocery case or restaurant menu will show that plant-based meat alternatives are becoming mainstream. What started with the ‘veggie’ burger has become a booming market opportunity to delight consumers with a broad range of meat-free options, from patties to sausages to nuggets and beyond. All told, the meat alternatives retail market is expected to double this decade.
What’s behind the consumer motivations for choosing plant-based protein options ?
Consumer motivations for choosing plant-based protein options are varied, ranging from health (adding more plants to their diet) to environmental (reducing their carbon footprint). Regardless of the reason, their expectations and preferences are becoming more and more sophisticated. Sorry veggie burger, but it’s no longer enough to be ‘just’ plant-based.
It takes a lot to stand out
Faced with an increasing number of meat-free options, consumers are looking to check a lot of boxes before opening their wallets (and mouths). They are actively seeking products that are lower in fat and salt and rich in nutrients – vitamins and protein in particular – and they’re increasingly checking labels for familiar ingredients and a more sustainable footprint. If manufacturers can nail these elements it will certainly increase appeal, but at the end of the day, taste is still king. In fact, 62% of consumers choose taste over everything else when it comes to food products, and plant-based meat alternatives are no exception.
Great taste naturally delivers great flavor, and for consumers this increasingly means a rich meaty taste (rather than a ‘beany’ one). The right texture in plant-based meat alternatives can also tip the scales from ‘dry’ to ‘delightful’. Consumers are looking for the fatty mouthfeel and juicy succulence typically associated with meat, as well as a firmness that keeps each bite from crumbling apart.
In short, it seems consumers are in search of an unmistakable meat-like experience when they’re enjoying plant-based meat alternatives.
Meeting meat-free expectations is in reach
Without question, these are complex challenges for manufacturers looking to develop winning products for this thriving market. It takes the right mix of tools to improve taste and texture while delivering nutritional value and managing salt. Drawing from the full breadth of DSM’s food and nutrition expertise, we recently launched an integrated portfolio of solutions to help manufacturers meet these very challenges and develop meat alternatives that check all the right boxes. It features a selection of yeast extracts, process flavors, hydrocolloids and nutritional ingredients that can be uniquely combined to create signature products that meet ever-evolving consumer demands.
For example, our:
- Maxarome® yeast extracts help mask off flavors and deliver authentic, umami-rich taste.
- Maxavor® flavor range provides the meaty taste consumers crave.
- Multirome® yeast extracts address mouthfeel and texture while enhancing the juiciness and fattiness perception of plant-based protein products.
- GELLANEER™ gellan gum improves water binding capacity to improve juiciness and helps build that meaty, succulent and firm bite.
Filling nutritional gaps for healthier plant-based options
These tools can help food manufacturers build the right taste and texture in plant-based protein products, but we know that nutrition matters too, especially as consumers are increasingly label-conscious. In a recent DSM study, nearly 85% reported being aware that they’re missing out on vitamins and minerals when following ‘elimination diets’. Here, DSM is uniquely positioned to help improve the nutritional profile of plant-based meat alternatives with our:
- Quali® vitamins and DSM Premix Solutions add necessary nutrients and protein.
- Maxavor® RYE LS range of process flavors is a targeted solution for managing sodium in plant-based meat alternatives, helping to deliver delicious, meaty taste with less salt.
Building better burgers (and beyond)
Food manufacturers face an enormous opportunity to harness the thriving plant-based meat alternatives market, which will certainly go way beyond burgers and patties in the coming years as innovation in this space continues apace. DSM’s new integrated portfolio of solutions can help manufacturers build plant-based protein products with the taste and texture consumers crave and, thanks to the added value of vitamins and premixes, the healthful nutritional profile they expect.
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DSM is Gold Partner at the Virtual 16th Plant-Based Foods & Proteins Summit Europe in October and Gilbert Verschelling, Director Business Development and Innovation for Savory, DSM, will be presenting on this topic and discussing how to improve the taste, texture and nutritional Value of your meat alternatives!. Meet DSM team at their own virtual booth and learn about their new solutions.
Virtual 16th Plant-Based Foods & Proteins Summit Europe 2020 (13-14 October, 9.00 am- 5.30 pm CEST)
Unique virtual Plant-Based Foods & Ingredients Networking Summit
Target audience: Retail, Food Service, Food Brands, Food Ingredients, Food Processing, Research Institutes, Universities, VC
20 Hrs. Thought Leading Speakers & Panels
20 Hrs. Networking Breaks with Business Meetings & Live Chats
Program
13 October – Track I – Plant-Based Foods Industry
14 October – Track II – New Formulations & Ingredients
Important Links
Overview: https://bit.ly/3jo5Ic1
Registration: https://bit.ly/3jo5Ic1
Programme: https://bit.ly/3bcYiWf
Exhibition/Partnership: https://bit.ly/32CFxYe
Register now and enjoy early bird discounts until 10 October
Be part of this unique experience!