GERMAN – Loryma, a wheat ingredients specialist, has developed functional binders that can individually adjust the consistency and texture of meat alternatives.
The Lory Bind range includes binders with different properties that match the application and production process. The move comes amid heightened demand for meat-free products with an authentic taste, smell and appealing mouthfeel.
“Plant-based food is a consumer trend that is currently experiencing steep upward growth. High demand comes not only from vegans and vegetarians but also from consumers who want to reduce or replace their meat consumption for health, ethical or environmental reasons,” Henrik Hetzer, Managing Director of Loryma, said.
Wheat-based raw materials ensure an appealing appearance. This, in turn, results in a high degree of customer acceptance for the end-products.
“Functional blends allow adjusting the consistency and texture of plant-based applications individually while wheat text urates can reproduce meat alternatives in numerous shapes and colours. These ingredients are suited for a multitude of desired finished products. Whether a manufacturer produces vegan burger patties, meatballs, chicken nuggets, fish fingers or kebab, sausages and bratwursts − everything is possible,” he asserts.
The Lory Bind range includes binders with different properties that match the application and production process.
Lory Bind can be combined with other formulation components, such as coatings, breading or text urates, and is easy to process. The functional starches help create ready-to-eat products with the desired and expected texture. For products designed to be eaten both hot and cold have a consistent composition, the binder provides an irreversible internal structure.
The wheat derivatives also help reproduce the texture of raw meat for foods that need to be grilled or pan-cooked: These products only develop the expected final firmness and texture when prepared by the consumer.
“Our binders offer the optimal symbiosis of functionality and the naturalness of wheat,” adds Hetzer. “Made from high-quality, regional raw materials, they are easy to use and promise effective results when it comes to creating successful products.”
Changing consumer behavior and a more significant awareness when it comes to sustainable and healthy nutrition and the development of new food concepts for a continually growing global population challenge which industry must respond in the mid-term.
“In this context, wheat-based raw materials provide natural, sustainable and economical solutions. The question of how to sustainably feed around ten billion people in 2050 is complex and multifaceted,” Hetzer stresses.
“Yet what is certain is the fact that the availability of high-quality proteins will play a key role. Here wheat-based ingredients have great potential. Since they increase the protein content of a finished product, with a subsequent decrease in carbohydrate content, they perfectly serve the trend towards health-conscious, low-carb/high-protein products,” said Hetzer.
“The reduction of animal protein does not diminish the nutritional value. Rather, the mix of different plant proteins provides the human body with an equivalent supply of essential amino acids.”
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