Innovating in the meat-free and halal meats market

ProSant?XCL, Cargill's newly developed textured soy protein, were featured in a chicken and vegetable soup prototype At the recent Food Ingredients Europe exhibition

KEY to maximizing the potential for using value-added ingredients in meat processing and utilizing protein-rich meat substitutes is accessing the capacity to combine in-depth technical expertise with a clear applications focus. Cargill achieves this balance by leveraging its global technical excellence and offering practical options for food processors based on an understanding of the specific requirements of their markets. Increasingly, time-pressed manufacturers are looking to ingredients suppliers to provide them with complete functional systems based on specific blends of texturizing ingredients, rather than just raw materials. A wide array of hydrocolloids, soy proteins and starch ingredients can now be put to use in producing outstanding flexible, cost effective specialist meat and meat replacement solutions.

Meat-Free Meals

Soy protein chunks offer a complete solution for healthy meat-free meals. The meat-free meals market is currently experiencing strong double-digit growth across Europe. Much of this growth is coming from new meat-free shoppers who do not consider themselves to be vegetarian, but who are reducing their meat consumption due to a mix of environmental, ethical and health concerns. ProSant?XCL, Cargill's newly developed textured soy protein, has a structure that mirrors whole muscle meat. It enables food manufacturers to offer a protein-complete replacement, available in the shape of diced strips in a choice of colors and sizes, which closely matches meat's natural fibrous structure, texture and chewing properties. Further, it does not present off-flavors normally associated with standard soy flour products; instead, it absorbs the inherent flavors of accompanying ingredients. At the recent Food Ingredients Europe exhibition, these textured soy protein chunks were featured in a chicken and vegetable soup prototype. “This is the first meat replacer that really has the shape of a chicken/poultry chunk,?says Henk Jan Buurman, Cargill瑨s Soy Protein Product Manager for EMEA. 揧ou can see fibers, it looks like chicken and it takes on flavors during hydration. We observed people who couldn抰 tell the difference between chicken breast chunks and ProSant?XCL.? 揙n the good health front, the new product contains no saturated fat, cholesterol or trans fat,?Buurman notes. 揚roSant?XCL contains 50% soy protein when dry and 18% when hydrated. With the July 2007 EU legislation on nutrition and health claims, EU-wide opportunities are opening up in relation to the cholesterol maintenance benefit of consuming 25 g of soy protein per day. The claim ?scientifically validated by the US FDA and the UK Joint Health Claim Initiative expert committee ?is now legal in the whole EU territory under the transition measures of that regulation.? Currently available in chunks or crumbles, this newly developed textured soy protein can be used in a variety of applications including: stews (goulash, beef stew), wok dishes, fillings for spring rolls, soups, ethnic foods (Indian, Chinese) whether fresh, deep frozen, pasteurized or sterilized, and for salad toppings as well. The end product can replace chicken and poultry in bland recipes and with the addition of caramel it can also be used for red meat applications such as beef or pork dishes. 揝ome products use ProSant?XCL at reconstituted (hydrated) levels as high as 40-60%,?says Linda Beck, 珻argill Global Product and Process Development Manager for Soy Protein. “This creates a finished product with visible chunks that are virtually identical to meat in appearance, bite and flavor ?a genuine alternative to meat in soups, stir-fry entrees, fillings, salads and preparedAir Max 1 Master