Sponsored

Formulation of great tasting plant-based foods and beverages with yeast-based solutions

Fermenting has been booming in recent years: the authentic, almost ancestral nature of this process, along with its recognized health benefits, is making these ingredients increasingly attractive to consumers.
Fermenting has been booming in recent years: the authentic, almost ancestral nature of this process, along with its recognized health benefits, is making these ingredients increasingly attractive to consumers.
Courtesy of Biospringer by Lesaffre

In recent years, all categories of plant-based foods have grown thanks to mainstream consumer appeal. This shift has been driven by the boom in flexitarianism and the desire to adopt more sustainable and healthier eating habits. But this positive momentum should not obscure the challenges in the development of tastier and cleaner substitutes.

Perfumer & Flavorist+ (P&F+) interviewed Heli Kilpala, Director of Strategic Marketing and Innovation at Biospringer by Lesaffre, to understand how yeast fermentation-based solutions are beneficial for alternative protein formulations, particularly in terms of improving taste and texture.

Have the stakes changed for the players involved as the consumer base for plant-based products and beverages has expanded?

Indeed, the challenges facing food manufacturers and flavorists are growing. Consumer profiles diversify and expectations become more complex: Generation Z, for example, has a taste for both innovation and authenticity. But if pleasure is still at the heart of their desire to buy, two additional considerations come into play: their well-being and that of their children, and the future of our planet. It was already a key trend in 2024, but clean label will certainly be more and more a feature of the current generation of plant-based products. Manufacturers need to prioritize short, easy-to-read, minimally processed formulations. Flavor inventors should help them by providing flavors that allow them to obtain "natural flavor" labels. Biospringer by Lesaffre is a strong partner to support them in this dynamic: our latest innovations will concretely help them to create flavors that are both personalized and planet-friendly.Heli Kilpala, Director of Strategic Marketing and Innovation at Biospringer by LesaffreHeli Kilpala, Director of Strategic Marketing and Innovation at Biospringer by LesaffreCourtesy of Biospringer by Lesaffre

Can you tell us more about these yeast-based innovations?

Fortunately for Biospringer by Lesaffre, fermenting has been booming in recent years: the authentic, almost ancestral nature of this process, along with its recognized health benefits, is making these ingredients increasingly attractive to consumers. Our customers, both food manufacturers and flavor houses, already know their properties. We continue to innovate because they ask us to develop their potential to improve their formulations in a cleaner way. We have expanded our range of solutions to address 3 key challenges for the alternative protein sector: nutrition, taste and labelling. As consumers are also looking for products with high protein content, we offer a vegan protein derived from yeast fermentation with a very high-quality profile and no side effects / undesirable functionalities. To enhance the taste experience, we have a wide range of solutions, but the latest innovations focus on several specialties. The first is the Maillard reaction, which provides flavor houses with customized building blocks for the creation of signature profiles for their customers. Then new ingredients to block unwanted flavors and others that provide cocoon sensation or more umami for better texture and flavor. These solutions are already in use by several of our customers and are another step forward in our commitment to ingredient exclusivity.

Naturalness is certainly an issue, but formulators also have certain cost constraints: are you responding to these cost-optimization pressures?

It is true that innovative ingredients and specialty products are more expensive than standard products or other less natural solutions. Of course, we are careful to consider the cost of using our ingredients and the benefits to our customers. We show some efficiencies depending on the end product and its formulation. For example, using our solutions can be a way to reduce the list of ingredients, so it's not just about cost, it's about less logistics for raw materials. Some others must be used at very low dosages, such as the Springer® Mask range to avoid off-notes in animal-free products or sport nutrition applications. We know that alternative ingredients to mask off-notes are expensive. Therefore, a low dosage in formulations is a real advantage. In short, our solutions are designed to achieve better formulations and can also reduce our customers' costs. But we should be careful, because many parameters need to be considered when formulating foods. What is certain is that we strive to innovate to deliver the greatest value to customers, including cost.

Finally, what are some of the challenges you face as a supplier of yeast-based solutions?

Like all industrial companies, we need to modernize our production facilities and working methods to become more agile and supply increasingly environmentally friendly raw materials. In this journey, digital is one of the strategic levers enabling us to be smarter, more virtuous, and closer to the needs of our customers and partners. Thanks to the support of the Lesaffre Group, we are integrating more and more of the expertise and tools that will allow us to make this transition as quickly as possible. It will also allow us to innovate faster and more efficiently. This will have a positive impact on the food system and plant-based innovation. Finally, the integration of Savory Ingredients will allow us to diversify our portfolio and expertise. As you can see, we're working hard to remain an innovative, agile supplier that increasingly respects the planet. That's what Lesaffre Group stands for and we're committed to achieving it.

Disclaimer:

The above paid-for content was produced by and posted on behalf of the Sponsor. Content provided is generated solely by the Sponsor or its affiliates, and it is the Sponsor’s responsi­bility for the accuracy, completeness and validity of all information included. Perfumer & Flavorist takes steps to ensure that you will not confuse sponsored content with content produced by Perfumer & Flavorist and governed by its editorial policy.

More in Flavor