Kerry, after completing proprietary consumer research this year, has identified five key issues that food companies should address when formulating plant-based meat alternatives. They are taste, nutrition, clean label, protein source and variety.
Kerry’s research found 62% of respondents who said they eat plant-based meat alternatives also said they eat meat. Plant-based meat alternatives for a vegan or vegetarian will need different taste, ingredient and nutritional attributes than plant-based meat alternatives for a carnivore, according to Kerry ….
Plant-based meat alternatives are becoming more sophisticated and taking on meat-specific attributes, according to Kerry. Taste, texture, aroma and appearance should be formulated to mimic meat. Protein levels and composition should be comparable to meat. The meat alternatives should be a 1:1 replacement of items like beef, pork, poultry and seafood.
About 73% of the 538 Americans in the Kerry survey said meat alternatives should mimic the taste of meat. Companies wanting to manage off-notes have options: taste-modulating ingredients, marinades, rubs, glazes, seasonings, meat flavors, smoke and grill flavors, and yeast-based systems and non-yeast-based systems that enhance savory flavors.
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