Protein flakes introduced to meet US demand
The Prosanté flakes are available in different shapes and sizes which the company says helps them hydrate faster in cold water than minced textured soy, improving the speed of production.
The company also claims the flakes do not have the off-flavors normally associated with standard soy protein products as they absorb the natural flavors of accompanying ingredients.
The flakes have been available in the Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific markets for some years, following a growing trend among health conscious consumers looking for alternatives to meat who expected to experience the same bite sensation they would normally expect when eating meat products.
Werner Barbosa, Cargill Soy Protein Product Manager NA & Convenience/Meat Category Manager NA, told FoodNavigator-USA.com that its customers have been asking for them, and the company was always looking for opportunities to extend its portfolio, which is why they were launching in the US.
She said: “Meat comes in different shapes and sizes and therefore if you are using soy as a meat replacement you need to mimic the mouthfeel and texture you get from different meat sizes, whether it’s minced meat in burgers or meat balls or larger strips or chunks for other dishes.
“The soy protein flakes are components in the replacement of meat. They are likely to be used as a substantial component along with another soy product in patties, meatballs and sauces etc to help create the desired texture and mouthfeel.
“It’s all about mirroring the effect of meat in the mouth and to do that you need different textures which the flakes can help provide.”
Textured soy protein is already used in a broad range of products, including sausages, soups, chilli and fillings, either as a meat replacer or to extend what meat is used in the applications
A report called Soy-based Food and Drink - US, published by Mintel in October 2007, placed retail sales at $1.4bn, or $1.9bn with Wal-Mart and natural food store sales taken into consideration. The market researcher said, however, that more awareness efforts need to be made to drive market growth.
End product
Applications that are best suited for Cargill’s Prosanté flakes include ground meat patties, meatballs, nuggets and other ground meat systems - both raw and cooked.
They are available uncolored, caramel colored or fortified with the vitamins and minerals normally found in meat in order to create an equivalent meat replacement - or in combinations of all three.
The one-eighth-inch textured flakes are ideal for mix and form ground meat systems and the quarter-inch or three-eighth-inch textured flakes work best for mix, grind, and form systems.
Cargill Texturizing Solutions boasts of being one of the world's leading suppliers of texturizers and emulsifiers to the global food and beverage industry.
