Food companies face complex challenges when developing vegan products. These range from taste through health to the texture of the product. Nor should the production process be overlooked.

© Food Pilot

Creating plant-based alternative products with sensory appeal and a good health profile requires expertise in product development. The taste of vegetable and animal and milk proteins cannot be compared. Plant proteins have a different composition from meat proteins and can also lend an undesirable product flavour. Furthermore, most plant proteins other than soya lack one or more essential amino acids. One solution is to combine several types of vegetable protein, but then the risk of allergies increases. Alternative plant products lack iron, selenium and zinc as well as vitamins B12 and D, all of which are sufficiently present in meat.

Nor can anti-nutritional factors, such as trypsin inhibitors and lectins, be ignored. These have an adverse effect on the digestion and on the absorption of the food. Allergens and anti-nutritional factors can be reduced by heating.

Functional properties

An essential precondition when replacing animal protein with plant protein is the maintenance of its functional properties. Structure is an Achilles heel for most meat substitutes. Meat proteins cannot be replaced on a one-to-one basis.

© Food Pilot

Technological challenges

The challenge when manufacturing vegan products is to translate knowledge of the functions of plant ingredients into optimal process parameters for the entire production process: from raw material to finished product. This requires no more than application know-how. Extrusion processes are used for the production of plant-based meat substitutes. A recent Danish technological development has made it possible to imitate muscle tissue, using plant fibres, proteins, fats and water. Low thermal and mechanical energy transform the plant proteins into a three-dimensional open fibre structure.

Collaboration

Further development of vegan products requires close collaboration between food companies, suppliers of ingredients, and technology and knowledge institutions. The vegan market is growing very fast. What's important is to create a win-win situation, where everyone benefits.