h s fi d e as b t n a Pl
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that makes a splash
Vegan-friendly seafood is quickly growing in popularity. Plant-based Exberry colours are the ideal way to ensure these products appeal to as many consumers as possible, writes GNT technical sales manager Richard Stenning.
T
he plant-based trend is gathering pace
all over the world, and consumers on the African continent are no exception. FMCG Gurus research shows 65% of consumers across the continent eat meat substitutes on a regular basis – far more than any other region.1
substitutes are high in protein, too. Colour is every bit as important. To ensure
With the high-performance cooling die in combination with an extruder, it is now possible to produce wet textured proteins based on soy, pulses, oilseeds and many more raw materials at throughputs of up to 1000 kg/h.
these products appeal to consumers, it’s vital that they look appetising.
extruded cereals and high-protein
already well established, attention is
Nonetheless, with modern
beverages, enabling us to apply that
now turning to plant-based fish.
consumers demanding healthier,
knowledge to fish-style products.
clean-label products, it is essential to
For example, with extruded cereals
use ingredients they can trust.
it is important to avoid excessive
With plant-based meat and dairy
While it still represents a tiny fraction of the global seafood market2, everyone from Forbes to the BBC is
Made from fruit, vegetables and
processing and hold times as well as
suggesting vegan-friendly seafood is
plants with no chemical solvents,
considering colour addition as late as
shaping up to be the next big trend.3,4
Exberry Coloring Foods provide the
possible in the extrusion process.
Beyond vegetarians and vegans,
perfect colouring solution for plant-
Our expertise has enabled us to
there are plenty of reasons for
based seafood. While vegan-friendly
overcome these technical barriers to
consumers to explore seafood
fish can create technical challenges
ensure our plant-based colours can
substitutes. Seafood allergies,
for clean-label colours, GNT has
be used to perfect the appearance
concerns around overfishing,
developed solutions for a vast array
of everything from salmon fillets
and health issues relating to
of stunning seafood substitutes.
to tuna sashimi. In fact, the range
methylmercury and microplastics
Many of the current analogue
covers the whole rainbow and
are all leading shoppers to add plant-
products are based on soy, pea,
is suitable for almost any food
based fish alternatives to their diets.
lentil and chickpea and they are
and drink application without
mainly processed by extrusion or
compromising on the label.
As a result, the range of products is growing fast, from scampi and
created by mixing proteins with
crabcakes to canned tuna and
stabilising systems and a heating
smoked salmon, and many are
step. Both of these processes, in
setting new standards in terms
combination with high pH values,
of quality. Manufacturers have
need be taken into consideration to
found innovative ways to mimic
ensure a positive result.
the natural flavours and textures of seafood, while many of the 26 Just Vegan ISSUE 1
REFERENCES: 1
FMCG GURUS ‘Top Trend: Plant-Life Explored’ (2020)
2
The Good Food Institute ‘An Ocean of Opportunity: Plantbased and cell-based seafood for sustainable oceans without sacrifice’ (2019)
3
Forbes ‘Plant-Based Fish Is The New Vegan Trend’ (June 2020)
4
BBC ‘Vegan seafood: The next plant-based meat trend?’ (June 2020)
GNT has vast experience working with similar applications including
GNT - www.gnt.com
