Baker Perkins: New technology for the production of meat substitutes from whole grain pulses

There is increasing demand in the UK and elsewhere for protein-rich meat substitutes that have the appearance, texture and taste of real meat products. This growth in demand is driven primarily by consumer concerns about the impact of meat production on the environment, leading many to look for ways of reducing meat consumption without compromising on nutrition or the gastronomic experience of eating meat. Health concerns and animal welfare are other reasons cited for adopting a plant-based diet.

This has seen UK sales of plant-based meat substitutes increasing 18% to £475m1 in 2019 while between 2015 and 2019 worldwide sales grew at a CAGR of 7.1% to £3.2bn2

Texturised vegetable protein (TVP) is one of the ways of making plant-based meat substitutes and a number of products are already on the market. Low-moisture TVP has a slightly spongy texture and is used in a range of meat products, primarily by the food industry, where it is rehydrated before being incorporated into burgers, sausages and ready meals. High moisture TVP is ready to use and gives a firmer, more meat-like texture to the products and could be sold to foodservice outlets or consumers as an ingredient for their own dishes.

Current technology uses highly-processed protein isolates to make TVP. However, many of these products contain unfamiliar ingredients such as methyl cellulose to modify the texture and could be categorised as ultra-processed, two things that could hinder further growth.

This project will investigate new processes using twin-screw extruder technology that will enable either high-or low-moisture TVP to be manufactured using flours obtained by processing the whole bean, rather than an isolate. It will also investigate ways of achieving the desired range of textures using purely processing techniques or label-friendly ingredients.

The UK food industry will benefit from this project by being able to respond to demand for environmentally-friendly and clean-label meat substitutes using ingredients that could be grown and/or processed in the UK. This will build resilience into the food supply chain and address concerns about food security in the event of future disruption to imports or domestic production of meat. Also, as the demand for these products is increasing worldwide, UK food processing and equipment companies will benefit from export opportunities.

1 Kantar World Panel via The Grocer

2 Innova Market Insights -- Meat Substitutes Trends Analysis Dec 2019