Taste systems for plant-based meat applications

Deliciousness in every bite

By Jie Ying Lee, Senior Strategic Marketing Manager, Radicle, Kerry APMEA

The taste lifecycle of plant-based meat reflects its steady growth in market launches and popularity among consumers around the world.

Kerry's APAC Taste Charts for 2022, which uncovers flavours and ingredients set to inspire food and beverage innovators for this year, saw mushroom, chilli and cheese emerging as big flavours in plant-based meat – last year, 76 new plant-based product launches called out these flavours.

What's more, total flavour callouts in product launches jumped from 120 in 2015 to 147 in 2021, with Mediterranean, Italian, Basil, Mexican and Cheese among new flavour introductions.

While nutrition and sustainability remain strong drivers of consumers' plant-based product choices, the role of taste cannot be ignored, especially comparing with animal proteins.

Taste is the most important attribute for plant-based products, and  why consumers would make it their first choice rather than the alternative.

Today's discerning consumers expect a good match to animal proteins in terms of taste and texture, which means plant-based alternatives must have a solid meaty bite or the same mouthfeel as animal proteins. However, ensuring great taste is a constant challenge in this category, with many consumers saying current products lack the taste and texture of meat.

Inspiring flavourful, meat-like plant protein calls for a full delivery taste system designed for plant-based meat application. 

Modulation, core taste and characterising taste are the core issues around plant protein. Kerry's from food, for food heritage allows us to build a holistic collection of taste solutions that deliver consistently great tasting plant-based products.

• Managing off-notes such as reducing bitterness as well as the cardboard texture and beany taste typical of most plant-based proteins such as pea, soy and blends

Our Solution: Tastesense™ masking covers plant protein off-notes for a true meaty flavour while cutting salt and delivering salt perception at the same time.

• Adding well-rounded meat flavours with a culinary flare that delivers a mouthwatering eating experience.

Our Solution: Authentic Savory™ portfolio of natural and vegan meat flavours builds on our food heritage and culinary expertise to replicate the taste of real meat, serving up authentic savoury, beef, poultry and pork flavours.

• Incorporating smoked, charred, roasted and grilled flavours without overpowering authentic taste

Our Solution: Authentic Savory™ cooking method flavours such as grilling and Red Arrow™ smokehouse flavours help bridge the taste gap between plant-based and real meat products.

Building the perfect taste profile can be daunting for manufacturers when formulating with plant-based protein. Often, they face batch to batch off-taste variation, flavour and product instability due to harsh processing; cooking methods and storage conditions of the finished product, as well as high cost where flavours cannot be released due to the plant protein and using taste solutions from different suppliers that do not provide a synergised, cost effective solution.

Finally, and perhaps the most important challenge is, how to deliver the succulence and juiciness for a meat-like taste experience? This is where  Savarome™ comes in. By combining all our taste technologies, Savarome™  is an integrated full delivery taste system solution designed specifically to overcome flavour application challenges in plant-based meat products.

It's a high impact taste system that delivers authentic flavourful taste by enhancing body, juiciness and richness that work synergistically to create delicious meat-like plant-based products.

Easy to apply, Savarome™ can also withstand plant protein processing conditions, reduces risk of overdosing, is natural with 100% plant-based and vegan flavours, allergen-free and halal suitable.

With 61% of consumers in Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa saying they intend to consume more plant-based foods, and Asia Pacific set to have the largest share of the global plant-based market by 2025, there is incredible opportunity to offer a plant-based meat experience in products that are healthy, innovative, with scrumptious taste and textures consumers can enjoy and feel good about eating. To learn more, click here.