Omya meets plant-based consumer trend with new portfolio of ingredients
Swiss mineral expert Omya has presented its 2021 European distribution portfolio of ingredients for the creation of products that meet emerging consumer demand for natural and vegan clean label applications. The portfolio focuses on colorants, flavours and vitamins for meat replacers and milk alternatives.
Omya’s global sourcing and network of suppliers enables the company to offer carefully selected specialities in small or large batches for specific processes. When combined with the company’s own high-quality calcium minerals many options for easy-to-process all-round solutions are opened up.
Market research institutes such as Mintel are forecasting a long-term trend in the food market, noting that as expectations in terms of quality continue to rise, so too will awareness of added health benefits and environmental compatibility.
Stefan Lander, Vice President Consumer Goods, Group Sales & Marketing at Omya, explains: “The corona crisis has made people realise, once again, that the world is a holistic system that has to be treated with care. Finished products must therefore mirror this: They not only have to demonstrate a ‘good for me’ factor but also communicate environmental credentials.” Consequently, consumer demand for natural, plant-based and vegan clean label applications is emerging.
Purple Sweet Potato Concentrate
Omya is responding to these needs with ingredients such as Purple Sweet Potato Concentrate: this colorant is obtained by aqueous extraction of the tuber, providing more stability than fruit-based anthocyanins. The colouring shades from red to purple depend on the pH of the application. This ingredient perfectly replicates meat-like colours for plant-based burger patties or vegan sausages. Additionally, it provides a natural appearance for drinkable and spoonable dairy alternatives.
Safflower Extract
Another natural colorant is Safflower Extract: It’s obtained from the flower’s petals by aqueous extraction, resulting in a yellow to bright orange colour. Available in different concentrations, the liquid or powdered extract adds a lively tint to fruit preparations across a range of drinkable and spoonable dairy alternatives, resulting in the expected authentic appearance.
Yeast Extracts
Responding to the need for genuine savoury flavours, Yeast Extracts provide the typical umami and kokumi taste. Thanks to naturally occurring amino acids, glutamic acid being one of them, the anticipated taste of food is enhanced and defined. The ingredients are suitable for vegan and vegetarian diets, and can be labelled either as “yeast extracts” or “natural flavours”. For meat alternatives, yeast extracts provide natural taste-masking, colour and meat-like flavour. Moreover, they contribute to salt reduction in a range of applications.
To support a vegan diet, fortification with Vitamin D3 and Vitamin B12 is desirable. Vitamin D3 increases the intestinal absorption of calcium, and plays an important role in calcium metabolism. Fatty fish is one of the few foods that naturally contain significant amounts, so it is understandable that vegans will seek out fortified alternatives. Vitamin B12, meanwhile, supports the nervous system and the development of red blood cells. As there are few non-animal sources of Vitamin B12, vegetarians and vegans, in particular, are advised to consume fortified foods or supplements.
For more information, visit: www.omya.com
