Burger Sensations: How we build better plant-based meat alternatives

Gone are the days when meat alternatives were only marketed to a niche group of consumers. Today, companies are racing to create new products and brands that appeal to a whole new mainstream group of flexible vegetarians ("flexitarians").

European consumers are furthest ahead in the consumption of plant-based beef products, on par with plant-based milks*.

*The smart protein plant-based food sector report, EU, 2021

 

Creating a meat-like experience through plant-based formulation requires expertise. There are many consumer expectations involved in creating a perfect plant-based meat alternative: 

• In its raw form, you want to present a burger patty with a pinkish, non-artificial color and a balanced structure, that comes as close as possible to real meat in terms of look 
• The “real” sensory aspects need to be maintained when the product is being cooked up. 
• The burgers can’t stick to the frying pan during cooking, as this makes them very difficult to flip over. 

INFUSE can help you overcome these challenges  by employing a multiple ingredient approach, leveraging our broad Cargill building blocks of plant proteins, texturizers, oils & fats, and flavor & color, and through effective formulation fine-tuning. Our specifically designed blends help you deliver high quality plant-based meat alternatives to burgers that consumers can enjoy without any compromise on the eating and cooking experience.

 

Creating a best in class plant-based burger

By identifying the perfect combination of proteins, texturizers and vegetable oils & fats, our application teams set out to develop a burger concept with a great structure and texture: the Texture Sensation burger. As sensory goes beyond texture alone, our applications teams partnered with an external Taste & Color partner on this project to truly build a better burger.

 

The building blocks to our concept are: 
 

		The concept is the debut for Cargill's texturized plant protein (TEX PW80 M), next to Trilisse® MVP 1201 - an ingredient blend of pea and wheat proteins, which further helps to ensure the right balance in taste and texture.
		Flanogen® REM 2460 is a specifically designed binding and texturizing system which contributes to firmness, chewiness and succulent mouthfeel.
		A carefully selected blend of Cargill® rapeseed and coconut oils, which help to mimic the look of classic meat burgers, help you achieve those recognizable white spots of animal fat in the patty.
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​		​With our Taste & Color Partner, we’ve included a carefully balanced and codeveloped blend of natural flavors that mask the plant protein aftertaste, offer enhancement and add a savory note to the burger.