STEP 2: build

In the next step, you need to create a neutral “canvas”. Most plant proteins come with  off-notes – that often taste slightly bitter - whether intrinsically or because of the extraction or process method. You need to identify and balance them. Each plant protein possesses unique characteristics and requires a specific solution, depending on its application. This makes an analytical tool like ProtiScan™ so useful. As well as analyzing all the plant proteins available, it hunts out unappealing notes that you need offset. As masking technologies become ever more efficient, we can help you create a truly “blank canvas”.

This creates an ideal trampoline for building in background tastes that add complexity through broad notes like saltiness or umami. You can achieve this by using natural vegetable extracts like onion, garlic, and mushroom. As well as taste, consumers are looking for plant proteins that meet their nutritional needs. So, this represents the ideal moment to think about the right nutritional balance, based on benchmarks of leading meat products and their plant equivalents.