According to Glanbia Nutritionals, plant-based dairy alternatives no longer seek to mimic classic dairy products but rather are developing into categories of their own. Yves Vantomme, Product Strategic Manager, Plant Nutritional, EMEA at Glanbia Nutritionals, told IDM that even only two years ago product development tended to copy taste and texture of conventional dairy products but now manufactures convince consumers with plant-based foods that really are different.
„The raw material base has broadened significantly,“ says Vantomme. „10 years ago we just had soya, now we have oats, almond, grain and many more. It all started out with milk-like drinks but now we have yogurt-analogues in the market and cheese alternatives are crossing the horizon“. As plant-based develops, manufacturers are now aiming at producing foods that are low in salt or sugar or rich in fibre. In all theses cases, Glanbia Nutritionals is here to help with its portfolio of ingredients.
„We focus on a limited number of ingredients, though“, Vantomme adds. At the core of Glanbia Nutritionals offering is oats, flax and chia seeds as well as pea protein. For making oat drinks, the company has developed a gluten-free flour that allows for making real drinkable products. Changing functionality is the key here as well as it is when pea protein is used (untreated pea protein has negative impacts on taste and texture). The company is increasingly able to supply local sourced ingredients and aims at processing Canadian oats for sale to US customers from 2022. This avoids high transport costs and also solves lead time issues.
To all who work in R&D of plant-based products, Vantomme has one advice: „Focus on taste and texture and keep it as natural as possible“.
Photos: Glanbia Nutritionals
