Solina, a European producer of savory ingredients solutions for the food industry, is leveraging technological advancements to make plant-based concepts “sensorially better.” Speaking to FoodIngredientsFirst, Alexander Wyckstandt, group communications manager and Moritz Kieswetter, category manager new protein food, share their strategy on how to propel plant-based NPD forward.

The company has developed its business unit Nextera by Solina to assist food processors in creating meat substitutes, such as determining the optimal process to obtain meat-like fiber, color and juiciness in meat substitutes via the “most advanced fibrillation technologies.”

“Nextera will also combine different kinds of plant proteins with additional ingredients that form custom solutions to meet several requirements on taste, functionality and nutrition set by a food manufacturer,” Kieswetter explains.

Optimizing plant-based products
Nextera by Solina is looking to expand a range of sensorially optimal fish substitute solutions, with fishless fingers virtually indistinguishable from their fish counterpart being one of the various applications. 

Solina is leveraging technological advancements to bring plant-based innovation as close to real meat products as possible.“It is possible to assist food companies in the optimization of plant-based foods and their taste, texture, color and nutritional profile through our ingredient solutions, which will make the difference toward consumers; meeting their desires and requirements,” affirms Wyckstandt. 

“For the plant-based meat substitutes category over the next coming years, the only way is up. The growth of the last two years (with the market being up 39% in value over the last year in Europe) is more than likely to continue.”

With personal health and global sustainability proving to be strong drivers of consumer choice, plant-based R&D has refocused from mimicking meat, fish and dairy to optimizing and diversifying options, according to Innova Market Insights, who recently unveiled its Top Ten Trends for 2022, citing “Plant-based: The Canvas for Innovation” as its number two trend. 

Consumers consider plant-based alternatives to be healthier and better for the planet. The desire for diet variation is further boosting interest in plant-based beyond the traditional vegan and vegetarian sectors, leading to a 59% increase in launches of new plant-based products in the year to August 2021.

Diversification is key
Next to this growth in market size, Solina expects to see “far-reaching diversification” in the plant-based category. 

This was evidenced at the recently culminated Anuga 2021, wher vegan brands entering the market this year exhibited their moves to branch out into new cuisines. New products featured at the show included grilled Middle Eastern meats, Asian satays and the Mediterranean palate.

“With the days of beef burger alternatives being the latest hype already quite a bit behind us, we are seeing extensions to a lot more at the moment, including diversified application types, such as chicken, pork and bacon alternatives,” Wyckstandt elaborates. 

“With this, we also want to offer more convenience for the consumer, including more dayparts, as shown by the increased breakfast choices in the QSR channel, for example. And finally, we want to see products becoming sensorially better, with chicken substitutes getting closer to meat-like fiber and taste being the most obvious example.”

Kieswetter also mentions that the most significant advancements are happening on its flagship range of chicken-like applications within its portfolio. “We expect this to trigger interest for international industry players within the meat substitutes market,” he reveals. 

How does the future of plant-based look?
With ingredient and logistical shortages becoming more evident and price increases looming, keeping up with demand will be the “key challenge for the meat-substitutes industry as a whole, for at least the foreseeable future,” according to Kieswetter. 

He believes that the most significant untapped potential for plant-based meat substitutes is evidenced by the finding that a small number of consumers in North America and Western Europe are satisfied with the taste and texture of meat alternatives when compared to the genuine meat products.Solina expects to see “far-reaching diversification” in the plant-based category.

“Next to demonstrating unmet potential with 70% of consumers in these geographies, this shows very clearly that what we know from consumer research holds true for meat substitutes as well: sensorial criteria – appearance, color and aroma next to the already mentioned taste and texture – remain the number one key criteria in developing any successful food application.”

Kieswetter says the company is well-equipped to handle these challenging market circumstances in a “reactive and resilient fashion.”

“Also, not having stakes in any specific plant-based ingredient supplier, we can source our protein base ingredients as well as any functional or flavor ingredients independently from around the globe,” he comments.

“In summary, our decentralized organizational structure combined with its global sourcing platform and Nextera’s full independence on plant protein ingredients are definite assets in this perspective.”

Earlier this month, Solina completed the acquisition of Food Compounds. Headquartered in Oosterhout, the Netherlands, Food Compounds operates a strongly automatized plant with a dedicated allergen-free facility. 

For Solina, this acquisition represents a further step in its expansion strategy following the respective assets of Canadian foodservice leader Berthelet in January 2020, Germany’s Hagesüd in May 2020, and the UK-based coating business Bowman Ingredients in October 2020.