0518 Plant-Based Feature
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
BY CAROLYN DORIS pg 22 05.18 • www.ift.org © kone/iStock/Thinkstock, © rvlsoft/iStock/Thinkstock. Image illustration Leslie Pappas Complex, realistic analogs with simple, unique flavor formulations offer an increasingly sophisticated array of options for consumers seeking meat-free alternatives. nce the world’s wealthiest person, billion- Maple Leaf previously purchased Lightlife Foods, a aire Bill Gates now spends much of his time producer of meatless hotdogs, chicken, and other and money trying to make the planet a bet- products, for $140 million in early 2017 (Maple ter place—by helping to eradicate diseases such as Leaf Foods 2017). malaria and polio in Africa, attempting to improve Globally, the meat substitutes market is esti- educational standards in the United States, and, mated at $4.6 billion in 2018 and forecast to reach more recently, personally investing in competing $6.4 billion by 2023, according to Marketsand- plant-based meat alternative companies Beyond Markets (MarketsandMarkets 2018). Meat and Impossible Foods as well as in egg substi- Not surprisingly, Dirk Leister, the Germany- tute developer Hampton Creek. based technical marketing manager for Thermo As he makes clear in his blog, GatesNotes, Gates Fisher Scientific, reports a substantial increase in remains an omnivore and his goal is not to persuade interest in this company’s benchtop laboratory-scale people to become vegan. Rather, he hopes individu- extruders used in the research and development als in wealthy countries such as the United States phase of creating plant-based meat and poultry ana- will reduce their meat consumption for environ- logs. “We have a lot of universities and companies mental reasons to ensure that there will be enough approaching us,” he says. “People who are in the animal- and plant-based protein to feed a global R&D stage don’t want to use too much of the mate- population the United Nations projects will reach rials, and they like to do a lot of trials and try 9.8 billion by 2050 (Gates 2015). different recipes without wasting too much time.” While Gates believes that improving the avail- Given the data released in the past few years by ability and verisimilitude of plant-based animal several market research firms, it’s no wonder that product analogs will help feed the planet, other interest in plant-based protein is surging. In a 2017 investors in meat, seafood, and dairy alternatives— global consumer study, The Nielsen Co. found that including the U.S. and Canada’s largest meat 39% of Americans and 43% of Canadians are processing firms—see commercial potential in “actively trying to incorporate more plant-based what they call “sustainable protein.” This past foods into their diets.” This indicates that the mar- December, Tyson Foods increased its investment in ket for plant-based options is many times larger than Beyond Meat by an undisclosed amount in a $55 the 3% of American consumers and 2% of Canadian million fundraising round, adding to the 5% own- consumers who follow vegan diets, Nielsen noted ership stake Tyson took in the privately held (Nielsen 2017) (Figures 1 and 2). »» company in October 2016 (Tyson 2017). Similarly, Maple Leaf Foods, Canada’s largest meat processor, acquired U.S.-based vegan meat The IFTNEXT initiative is a heightened, purpose-drive commitment to bringing and cheese producer Field Roast Grain Meat Co. for provocative ideas and discoveries together to inspire thoughtful, important $120 million in January (Maple Leaf Foods 2018). conversations that challenge conventional approaches with the goal of To gain a foothold in “the $600 million U.S. plant- informing global issues related to the science of food. based protein market,” as the company described it, 05.18 • www.ift.org 23 pg Figure 1. % of Consumers Who Reduced Meat Intake Between 2015 Figure 2. % of Consumers Who Reported Eating Meat Once a Week or Less in 2017. and 2017. From Innova Market Insights From Innova Market Insights R&D phase of several years, with Impossible Foods founder Patrick 33% 53% O. Brown and his Germany Germany team first using gas chromatogra- phy-mass 22% 44% spectrometry to United Kingdom United Kingdom analyze the thou- sands of compounds that 21% 44% contribute to United States United States ground beef ’s aroma and taste. After deter- mining that hemo- In its Plant-based Proteins—U.S. growth rate (CAGR) for meat substi- globin is a critical component of report published in January, Mintel tute launches worldwide between ground beef’s performance and fla- Group points out that 5% of U.S. 2012 and 2016 (Innova 2017). vor, the company sought out a adult consumers eat plant-based ani- Although veganism is rising in plant-based source of heme, finding it mal protein substitutes three times Western countries, especially among in soy root nodules. Instead of har- or more a week and 11%, one to two young European consumers, accord- vesting soy roots, the company times a week. Mintel suggests that ing to Mintel—with 12% of inserted a snippet of the soy DNA Millennials, and Hispanic Millennials consumers between the ages of 16 that codes for heme into a standard in particular, represent a robust mar- and 24 identifying as vegan in France yeast strain. Today, fermentation ket with significant potential (Mintel and 10% in both Germany and tanks containing the proprietary 2018a). Poland—most of the market growth yeast produce red heme that tastes Emphasizing the global nature of for plant-based analogs of meat, sea- like blood (Jacobsen 2016). Besides the plant-based food movement, food, and dairy products comes from heme, the Impossible Burger contains a Innova Market Insights in 2017 flexitarians, who limit meat con- blend of textured wheat protein, reported a 14% compound annual sumption but don’t completely avoid coconut oil, potato protein, and it (Mintel 2017). other natural flavors plus a small White Castle’s plant-based Impossible Slider developed by Impossible Foods It is flexitarians and more diehard amount of ingredients such as yeast made its debut last month at 140 of the chain’s locations in New York, New meat eaters that companies are tar- extract, salt, soy protein isolate, kon- Jersey, and the Chicago area. Photo courtesy of White Castle and Impossible Foods geting with increasingly realistic jac gum, and xanthan gum replicas of the appearance, taste, (Impossible Foods 2018). texture, mouthfeel, nutritional prop- “Our goal for our first product, erties, and other characteristics of the Impossible Burger, is to create a animal-derived products. world-class burger that surpasses any other burger—made from plants or Replicating the Iconic American Burger animals—in taste, nutrition, and Impossible Foods with its Impossible sustainability,” says Jessica Burger and Beyond Meat with the Appelgren, vice president of commu- Beyond Burger have garnered much nications at Impossible Foods. media attention by creating analogs Since opening its first full-scale that mimic the cooking properties, manufacturing plant last year, juiciness, and even the bleeding of Impossible Foods has expanded ground beef as well as its taste and quickly in the foodservice realm. But aroma. many restaurants still price the Debuting at David Chang’s Impossible Burger at around $15. “As Momofuku Nishi in New York City we continue to increase production in the summer of 2016 and now capacity and as our company grows, served in more than 700 restaurants the price will decrease significantly, across the United States, the and we’ll be able to supply the Impossible Burger went through an Impossible Burger to retail outlets,” pg 24 05.18 • www.ift.org Appelgren says. “Our goal is to be available anywhere you can find meat from animals.” The Beyond Burger, in contrast, is more widely distributed, with Beyond Meat founder Ethan Brown focusing on retail from the beginning and now making significant inroads in the foodservice sector. After clinching a deal with Ahold Delhaize USA, which owns several East Coast grocery banners, Beyond Meat reported last December that the Beyond Burger would soon be carried by some 5,000 supermarkets across the country. And as of January, the vegan burger has been added to the Years in development, the Impossible Burger is noted for its meat-like mouthfeel and juices. Burger Bar menu of all of TGI Photo courtesy of Impossible Foods Fridays’ more than 450 locations nationwide (Beyond Meat 2018). Retailed in a package containing launched Beyond Sausage, a plant- as analogs for pork, chicken, and sea- two 4-ounce patties, the Beyond based analog containing primarily food, notes David Tuescher, a special Burger is intended to be placed in the pea, fava bean, and rice protein to projects chemist with Sethness meat case rather than in a store’s approximate the unique texture of Products Co., a producer of caramel vegan section. The main ingredient pork sausage. A trace amount of beet colors. “Caramel colors are fairly in the burger, which has 20 grams of juice contributes a meaty red color, unique,” he says, explaining their protein, is pea protein isolate, with while coconut oil provides juiciness, versatility. “In a very low concentra- beet juice added to simulate bleeding. according to the company. The sau- tion, you get a yellowy tone. As the Other ingredients in the patties sage is wrapped in a 100% concentration goes up, you get more include vegetable oils, yeast extract, plant-based casing made from algae. of a reddish tone. And up from there, plant fiber, binders, and natural Getting the color right is critical you get into the brown tones.” flavors. to the development of appetizing, Tuescher points out that Sethness Beyond Meat also recently realistic plant-based burgers as well has many caramel colors suitable for vegan products, such as minimally In addition to the Beyond Burger, Beyond Meat processed, non-GMO project veri- offers pea protein–based Beef Crumbles, which fied, and certified organic liquids and are suitable for applications like tacos.