Meat and egg alternatives in Europe 2021
Regions in the Spotlight 12-23 April 2021
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Contents Market size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Meat alternatives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Alternative protein ingredients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Protein function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Blending, processing and ingredient selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Getting the details right . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Clean label . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 New targets for meat alternatives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Egg alternatives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Cultured meat and eggs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Key takeaways . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
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Market size Meat and egg alternatives use a wide and growing range of plant-derived ingredients, such as mung bean protein to make a realistic scramble, or soy and wheat protein for a meat-like texture in vegetarian burger patties, sausages, nuggets, and even whole muscle meat alternatives. The EU and UK market for meat alternatives is set to grow at 10% a year from 2020 to 2025, according to Dutch research bank ING, with sales to reach about €7.5 billion in five years’ time, up from €4.4 billion in 2019.1 Vegan egg alternatives are also beginning to appear on supermarket shelves across Europe, as food entrepreneurs have found ways to make plant-based products that more realistically mimic eggs.2 However, egg replacers predominantly have been used in food manufacturing rather than in consumerfacing products.3 Beyond plant-derived alternatives, cultured meat and egg products represent a parallel segment that provides alternatives to animal agriculture rather than alternatives to meat and eggs themselves.
Meat alternatives Alternative protein ingredients While alternative protein ingredients from peas, wheat, soy and mycoprotein (Quorn, for example) have dominated the market,4 manufacturers are now exploring the potential of niche protein ingredients, like those from hemp, flaxseed and lupin.5 What is more, some manufacturers and ingredient suppliers have started to focus on the flavour and texture that vegetable ingredients can bring to meat analogue products, rather than considering protein alone.6
Better Nature’s Organic Better Bites “These delicious, lupin-based tempeh bites are packed with Asian flavours like soy and ginger. They’re high in protein and fibre, organic and 100% plant-based. They can be served hot or cold, adding a meaty bite to your favourite stir-fry, some veggie noodles or a tasty Asian-style salad.” 7
Source: betternaturefoods.co7
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Terra Vegane’s Vegan 4-Pepper Salami The Terra Vegane Vegan 4-Pepper Salami is made with a mix of four colourful peppers and contains protein from lupin, oats and wheat. Their vegan salami is said to make a good pizza or sandwich topper or can be enjoyed as a snack.9
Source: terravegane.de8
Protein function for sensorial quality According to Laurice Pouvreau, Senior Scientist Protein Technology at Wageningen University & Research, texture, flavour and juiciness in a meat analogue product are the most important qualities for market success.10 She told delegates at Fi Europe CONNECT 2020 that;
“What we hear from consumers is that plant-based meat analogues are often perceived as dry. They need to possess sensorial quality, by which I mean a good texture, a good bite, while it’s also important to have a juicy product.” 10 Every plant protein ingredient has different functional properties, making it more or less adaptable to meat analogue products.
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Source: Wageningen University & Research, presentation at Fi Europe CONNECT 2020, “Structuring of plant products towards meat analogues - technologies and ingredients”10
According to Pouvreau, up to 70% of new products in meat analogues are based on soy protein and wheat gluten – and with good reason. “Soybean is highly functional for application in meat analogues, as well as gluten,” she said, although she highlighted their allergenicity and concerns over genetic modification of soy in Europe as potential drawbacks.10 Pouvreau said that;
“The trend right now is making more use of yellow pea protein, or lupin, and you can also see mung bean appearing for meat analogues. Yellow pea is, from a nutritional point of view and a sustainability point of view, a very good crop and source of protein. It is a little less functional, so it needs different processing conditions to be able to use it in meat analogues, and one of the benefits is it is also non-allergenic.”10
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Blending, processing and ingredient selection Another option for formulators is to blend proteins, and Pouvreau gives the example of soy protein mixed with wheat gluten; when blended, they tend to produce a much more fibrous, meat-like structure during high moisture extrusion than when soy is used on its own.11 Alongside ingredient selection, processing is an important consideration for these products, with extrusion and high shear technology allowing for the creation of fibrous textures that replicate the way that meat tears when pulled apart, as well as its bite.12 While high moisture extrusion is used for many plant-based meat analogue products, dry moisture extrusion is used in plant-based burgers, for example, to make patties.13 Pouvreau added that less highly processed ingredients could help improve the sustainability of plant-based products, while also keeping costs down.14 WUR is exploring how different plant proteins could be used with shear cell technology – a more energy efficient alternative to extrusion – particularly less processed protein ingredients.15 Pouvreau that;
“The post-processing step, such as freezing, thawing and marinating, is very important as well for the final product quality for the consumer.”16
Beyond Meat’s Beyond Burger Plant-Based Patties
Getting the details right
Source: beyondmeat.com18
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Successfully mimicking the experience of eating meat also depends on details, such as the way fat melts and is distributed during cooking and eating, or the taste and ooze of blood when a burger patty is chewed or sliced on the plate. Some of the companies hailed as having made major breakthroughs in the meat analogues area are those that have focused on these seemingly minor details. For example, Impossible Foods’ burgers include a heme-containing protein ingredient from the roots of soy plants for its slightly metallic, meatlike flavour, while Beyond Burger uses beetroot juice to mimic the colour of beef.17
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Clean label Naturalness remains a concern for many people, and there is significant overlap between people who are interested in plant-based diets and those who are interested in clean label foods.19 Long ingredient lists have raised questions about the meat alternatives sector, which is beginning to respond with simpler products.20 Dutch company Ojah, for example, makes an extruded product from just soybean flour and water under the brand name Plenti. Manufacturers can alter its texture, shape and tenderness to mimic various meat products, including chicken, beef, pork or fish.21
New targets for meat alternatives Late in 2019, Ojah introduced what it claimed were 'the world’s first vegan ribs,' made from high moisture extruded yellow pea flour, water, and seasoning.22
“We were focussed on developing a new texture based on a different protein source than soya, but with the same wow-effect as Plenti,” said Joeri Hollink, Head of Product Development at Ojah.23
Plenti by Ojah, The World’s First Vegan Ribs
Source: ojah.eu24
Meat analogue products are big business, but some products – like ribs – have gained less attention than others. Seafood is another market segment where innovation has been slower, accounting for just 1% of the meat substitutes market so far, according to alternative protein advisory group The Good Food Institute.25 Among the companies working in the sector, Good Catch makes an alternative to flaked tuna with a blend of six beans, each of which adds a particular textural quality. It also uses algal oil to add a seafoodlike briny flavour and fish-free omega-3 fatty acids.26 Other companies also are focused on seafood, especially popular but expensive varieties. US-based Ocean Hugger Foods, for instance, specialises in fish alternatives for sushi, such as raw tuna, salmon and eel based on tomato, carrot and aubergine, respectively.27
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Egg alternatives Food ingredient suppliers have been creating alternatives to eggs for years for use in commercial foods, but in recent years a growing number of consumer-facing alternatives has appeared, including condiments like JUST Mayo, as well as a range of ingredients that mimic the binding or raising properties of eggs.28 JUST was also pioneering with its alternative to scrambled eggs from mung beans, highlighting the product’s flavour and texture first and foremost, but also its protein content and environmental credentials.29 In the business-to-business space, many suppliers have developed ingredients for egg replacement, which are often combinations of starches, proteins, fibres, and hydrocolloids intended to achieve a certain result in target products. However, this approach may clash with companies’ clean label ambitions. While earlier egg replacers were often used for reasons like lower cost and easier storage, the drive toward plant-based foods has given food companies another reason to consider alternatives, as well as another way to market them.30 Among emerging options, FUMI Ingredients has developed an award-winning egg white replacer from organisms like yeast and microalgae,31 and the company received €500k in seed funding from two Dutch venture capital funds in February 2020.32
Zero Egg’s EGG Basics Plant-based egg alternative Israeli startup Zero Egg raised US$5 million in series A funding in November 2020 for two varieties of egg alternatives – one for use in baking and the other as a replacement for traditional breakfast egg products – using a blend of proteins from pea, chickpea, soy and potato.34 Other competitors in the space include Plantible, which raised US$4.6 million in seed funding during 2020 for its egg white replacer based on duckweed protein.35
Source: zeroeggfood.com33
Cultured products Meat and egg replacements from cell culture have been hailed for their potential in terms of both taste and texture, as well as in the way they address environmental and animal welfare issues by removing animal agriculture from the equation altogether.36 Even plant-based products use agricultural land and water for cultivation, while growing meat or egg cells in bioreactors uses just a fraction of the land, water and energy, depending on feedstocks and where the bioreactors are located.37 Mainstream adoption of cultured products still has a long way to go, as companies working in the space face two main hurdles: cost and scalability.38 However, recent developments include egg white from US-based Clara Foods39 and the recent development of a slaughter-free ribeye steak from Israeli startup Aleph Farms, produced via 3D bioprinting.40
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Key takeaways • The market for both meat and egg alternatives is growing rapidly • Manufacturers are beginning to use vegetable blends instead of focusing solely on protein • Texture, flavour and juiciness are the most important qualities for meat alternative success • Each plant protein has different functionality, meaning some are better suited than others for meat analogues • Processing is an important consideration for texture, as well as post-processing steps carried out by the consumer • New targets for meat alternatives include products that mimic ribs, fish and seafood • Egg alternatives are at a much earlier stage, but there is plenty of innovation and investment in the sector • Cultured meat and eggs still face cost and scalability issues, but progress is being made The information provided here was compiled with due care and up to date to the best of our knowledge on publication.
Sources https://think.ing.com/reports/growth-of-meat-and-dairy-alternatives-is-stirring-up-the-european-food-industry/ 2 https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/01/22/1973404/0/en/Global-Egg-Replacement-Ingredients-Market-is-Expected-to-Reach-2-1-Billion-by-2026-FiorMarkets.html 3 https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/01/22/1973404/0/en/Global-Egg-Replacement-Ingredients-Market-is-Expected-to-Reach-2-1-Billion-by-2026-FiorMarkets.html 4 https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/agriculture/our-insights/ alternative-proteins-the-race-for-market-share-is-on 5 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5956054/ 6 https://www.sceltamushrooms.com/vegetarians-replace-meat/ 7 https://betternaturefoods.co/collections/all/products/betterbites-saucy-stir-fry 8 http://terravegane.de/en/products/meat-alternatives/salamistange/ 9 http://terravegane.de/en/products/meat-alternatives/salamistange/ 10 Laurice Pouvreau, Senior Scientist Protein Technology at Wageningen University & Research, presentation at Fi Europe CONNECT 2020, “Structuring of plant products towards meat analogues - technologies and ingredients” 11 Laurice Pouvreau, Senior Scientist Protein Technology at Wageningen University & Research, presentation at Fi Europe CONNECT 2020, “Structuring of plant products towards meat analogues - technologies and ingredients” 12 https://www.ift.org/news-and-publications/food-technologymagazine/issues/2019/october/columns/processing-howplant-based-meat-and-seafood-are-processed 13 Laurice Pouvreau, Senior Scientist Protein Technology at Wageningen University & Research, presentation at Fi Europe CONNECT 2020, “Structuring of plant products towards meat analogues - technologies and ingredients” 14 Laurice Pouvreau, Senior Scientist Protein Technology at Wageningen University & Research, presentation at Fi Europe CONNECT 2020, “Structuring of plant products towards meat analogues - technologies and ingredients” 15 http://www.agripress.nl/_STUDIOEMMA_UPLOADS/downloads/41.htm 16 Laurice Pouvreau, Senior Scientist Protein Technology at Wageningen University & Research, presentation at Fi Europe CONNECT 2020, “Structuring of plant products towards meat analogues - technologies and ingredients” 1
https://www.ift.org/news-and-publications/food-technologymagazine/issues/2019/october/columns/processing-howplant-based-meat-and-seafood-are-processed 18 https://www.beyondmeat.com/products/the-beyond-burger/ 19 https://insights.figlobal.com/clean-label-natural/covid19-strengthens-interest-clean-label 20 https://www.figlobal.com/content/dam/Informa/figlobal/ fieurope/en/2020/documents/HLN20FIE-GM-Plant-based-ingredients-are-here-to-stay.pdf 21 https://www.ojah.eu/products/versatile-processable/ 22 https://www.ojah.eu/products/heppi/ 23 https://www.foodvalley.nl/news/ojah-bv-announces-thelaunch-of-the-worlds-first-vegan-ribs/ 24 https://www.ojah.eu/ojah-bv-announces-the-launch-of-theworlds-first-vegan-ribs/ 25 https://gfi.org/ 26 https://goodcatchfoods.com/ingredients/ 27 https://oceanhuggerfoods.com/ 28 https://gfi.org/images/uploads/2018/06/Plantbasedeggalternatives.pdf 29 https://www.ju.st/ 30 https://gfi.org/images/uploads/2018/06/Plantbasedeggalternatives.pdf 31 https://insights.figlobal.com/start-ups/interview-fumi-ingredients-fi-global-startup-innovation-challenge-2019 32 https://agfundernews.com/egg-white-replacement-ingredient-company-scores-e500k-seed-funding-from-dutch-vcs.html 33 https://www.zeroeggfood.com/foodservice 34 https://nocamels.com/2020/11/israeli-food-tech-zero-egg-5mvegan/ 35 https://techcrunch.com/2020/04/30/plantible-raises-4-6-millionseed-round-for-an-egg-white-replacement-that-isnt-aquafaba/ 36 https://www.nature.com/articles/s43016-020-0112-z 37 https://www.nature.com/articles/s43016-020-0112-z 38 https://insights.figlobal.com/new-product-development/costbarrier-cultured-meat-could-vanish-within-five-years 39 https://www.ingredion.us/MeetIngredion/News/ingredion-partners-with-clara-foods-to-expand-protein-portfolio.html 40 https://www.prnewswire.com/il/news-releases/aleph-farmsand-the-technion-reveal-worlds-first-cultivated-ribeyesteak-301224800.html 17
Meat and egg alternatives in Europe 2021 | 9
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