3 minute read
Plant-based ingredients to watch
In the UK, only 28% of adults eat the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, falling to just 18% for children up to 15 years old 41 Despite the popularity of plant-based foods among Millennial and Generation Z consumers, these population groups are often deficient in vegetable and fibre intake.
Mintel has identified an opportunity for brands to create plant-based foods made with vegetables,42 and a growing number of packaged food companies are stepping up to fill the gap between ‘plant-based’ and ‘vegetable-rich’ by using whole vegetables and fruit pieces, pulses, and other unprocessed plant ingredients in their products 43
Canadian brand Wholly Veggie makes comfort food favourites such as cauliflower floret Buffalo ‘wings’ and convenient vegetable-packed patties that can be heated in the toaster Irish company Strong Roots’ portfolio includes broccoli & purple carrot bites, cauliflower hash browns, and pumpkin & spinach burger patties
With many consumers embracing (or even discovering for the first time) home cooking during global COVID-19 lockdowns, there could be an opportunity for ready-to-use, whole food vegetable mixes for meal preparation US brand Tattooed Chef, for instance, offers bags of pre-washed, -cut, and -seasoned mixed frozen vegetables, removing the hassle of preparing vegetables but still allowing people the experience of scratch cooking
Fava bean protein
Between 2017 and 2019, Innova tracked a 439% increase in global product launches using fava beans in meat and dairy alternatives 44
In addition to adding protein, fava beans can improve the texture of products thanks to legumin, a specific globulin protein they contain that creates a firmer, springier, and more cohesive curd texture than lentil or pea (Legumin is also present in soy) 45 Fava bean isolate also has higher water and oil absorption capacities and better gelling properties than soy and pea 46
Brands are embracing fava beans in dairy, snacks and meat Healthy indulgent ice cream brand Halo Top recently swapped brown rice protein for fava protein because it creates a creamier texture while US startup NutteeBean sells roasted fava beans as a high-protein snack
According to Mintel, around 80% of meat substitutes using fava bean are blended pea protein47; one example is Finnish brand Beanit’s pea and fava mince, which launched in the UK in 2020
Jackfruit
Jackfruit is well-positioned to meet demand for natural and unprocessed meat substitutes The young fruit is high in starch - not sugar - with a neutral taste and chewy, meaty texture that is both fibrous and tender. It requires minimal processing, making it an attractive wholefood option for people wishing to reduce their consumption of ‘ultraprocessed’ foods, and is particularly suitable in applications such as pulled pork or shredded meat 48 The Jackfruit Company in the US, Australia’s Tender Table and Singaporean start-up Karana use the fruit in their products while retailers, such as Trader Joe’s in the US and Tesco in the UK, add it to private label ranges
Mintel has identified untapped potential for jackfruit in packaged foods in South and South-East Asia in particular, where the tropical fruit is common but rarely used as a meat substitute in ready meals 49
Fungal mycelium
Mushrooms are not technically plants; they are part of the fungi kingdom However, mycelium, the rootlike filamentous fungi network of some mushrooms, is a promising ingredient within the plant-based meat space
The concept is not new - Quorn has been producing meat alternatives from fermented Fusarium venenatum for decades – but the ingredient is attracting attention as new players enter the fray
New York-based Atlast Foods uses a solid-state biomass fermentation process to produce whole slabs of fibrous fungi that it then slices into bacon-style rashers. Its final product contains just six ingredients –mycelium, coconut oil, cane sugar, salt, smoke flavouring, and beet juice – and the fact that the main ingredient is a whole food is a major selling point for the brand
Colorado-headquartered Meati Foods uses submerged biomass fermentation to produce mycelium in less than 18 hours. Its first product, a chicken alternative, has a similarly clean and clear ingredient list (water, mycelium, natural flavour, onion powder, and garlic powder) and one 85g serving provides 32% of the recommended daily intake of protein and 21% of fibre.
Manufacturers who use the mycelium from a species whose fruiting body is an edible mushroom and is known to consumers, such as shiitake, may be able to label the ingredient as the more label-friendly ‘mushroom protein’ as opposed to ‘fungal mycelium’, notes GFI – although national regulatory authorities will likely have the final say.50
