Made from naturally fermented vinegar, Niacet’s Provian Plus is a clean label offering formulated specifically for plant-based meat alternatives. The solution contains added calcium, which interacts with hydrocolloids and proteins commonly found in plant-based substitutes – such as pea and soy – to provide a textural firmness that adds authenticity to an alternative product.

FoodIngredientsFirst speaks to Pieter Paul Lamers, Managing Director at Niacet, to further explore the ingredient’s functionalities.

“Provian Plus is the answer to the most important challenges faced today when developing a plant protein-based product, specifically when securing food safety and shelflife, and improving the texture of the product,” says Lamers.

Provian Plus can be labeled as Dry Vinegar, Neutralized Vinegar or Buffered Vinegar in products with a natural claim. “Provian Plus is pure and 100 percent defined [on label]. Comparable products on the market are often based on unidentified combinations, with detailed composition of certain ferments unknown,” explains Lamers.

“As a result of the unique production process, Provian Plus is homogeneous and disperses well in the final application. The product bonds the plant proteins and, by doing so, improves the structure of the meat replacer. This very same product also has unique proven anti-microbial activities,” he details.

With its vinegar-derived Provian range, Niacet offers a range of products that secure food safety and extend shelf life in a wide array of applications, both meat and plant-based. “We have grown our portfolio dedicated to plant-protein based products. In our development pipeline, we are working further on a range of multi-functional components,” Lamers notes.

Formulating with Provian Plus
Provian Plus is marketed as an easily soluble powder and can be applied as such or can be pre-dissolved. “Sensory evaluations have shown that vinegar based products like Provian Plus do not have an effect on taste smell or structure. It controls pathogens like Listeria and spoilage bacteria like lactic acid bacteria very efficiently,” remarks Lamers.

“When consumers eat plant protein-based meat replacers they expect not only a pleasant, meat-like taste, but also the mouthfeel of meat. Mimicking this mouthfeel normally requires firming agents. With the use of Provian Plus, food safety, shelf life extension and texture improvement go hand-in-hand and are all achieved with one product,” he details.

Provian NDV was one of Niacet’s Provian solutions showcased at the Institute of Food Technologists’ digital event, SHIFT20. It is marketed as a clean label preservative for the control of Salmonella, a food pathogen in fresh beef. Eelco Heintz, Product & Innovation Manager at Niacet, also recently spoke to FoodIngredientsFirst in a video interview about the ingredients functionalities.