Breakthrough in textured soy protein adds 'bite' to growing meat-free market
A new soy protein from Cargill is aiming to claim a stake in the growing soy and meat-free market by offering consumers the ‘bite’ they normally expect when eating meat products.
Cargill has identified a growing trend for health conscious consumers looking for alternative to meat or switch to a purely vegetarian diet. The overall European market for soy products – currently standing at more than €1.5bn a year – is expected to grow at roughly 10% per year, according to research, in line with this trend.
ProSanté XCL is a newly developed textured soy protein with a structure close to that of whole muscle meat. Available in the shape of diced strips in different colours and sizes, the product’s attractive appearance, excellent bite and chewing properties make it ideal for meat replacement in a wide variety of products, including fresh, canned and instant soups or noodle preparations, stews, wok dishes and spring rolls.
Henk Jan Buurman, Soy Protein Product Manager EMEA, Cargill explains: “Soy has gained a prominent position in healthy diets as a valuable alternative to animal proteins, but most textured products do not meet consumers’ expectations surrounding their look or bite. Our customers set us a challenge: develop a textured soy protein matching consumers’ expectations that has a natural appearance and is healthy. We believe ProSanté XCL is the answer to these requests.”
“Problems with the ‘bite’ profile of previous soy proteins have meant that, up until now, these products have mainly been used as meat extenders or as ingredients in vegetarian meals. The breakthrough structure of ProSanté XCL provides manufacturers with a genuine alternative to meat. It has also been designed to fit easily within existing recipes and production processes, has a long shelf life and is cost competitive with other meat alternatives” adds Pierre Boulanger, Meat Category Manager EMEA.
ProSanté XCL is one of a range of soy proteins from Cargill that also includes soy flours and soy isolate.