Meat substitute food products popped up in the market like the color neon in the 1980’s. However, unlike neon which faded as fast as it illuminated the fashion world, plant-based food products are now the new normal. Environmental and health concerns steered meat alternatives into the food industry limelight. Because of this, plant-based is a long-term life style choice among consumers. And, this new lifestyle translates into cleaner food labels.

To create meat substitutes that simulate their animal counterparts, food manufacturers use a variety of ingredients. For instance, some of these ingredients include fibers, starches, gums and other stabilizers in addition to plant-based proteins. On the other hand, some ingredients like methyl cellulose quickly emerged as the go-to ingredient in formulators' tool boxes. One of the main benefits is its multi-functionality despite its labeling concerns.

However, today, new natural functional ingredients are available. For example, Fiberstar offers several solutions which create high quality meat substitute foods with cleaner labels.

Citri-Fi^® TX Citrus Fiber Builds Texture in Meat Substitutes

The company launched the new Citri-Fi TX10 citrus fiber. This natural ingredient’s large particle size simulates texturized vegetable protein (TVP) when building appearance and texture. For instance using between 1% to 3% allows formulators to create meatier texture while benefiting from the cold binding properties that may be lacking in formulations. And in some instances, developers do not need to use gluten which is a typical binding agent.

Citri-Fi TX10 labeling options include citrus fiber, dried citrus pulp or citrus flour which resonate well in the clean label markets.

Cleaning Labels using Citri-Fi Citrus Fiber Solutions

Another break-thru includes the use of citrus fiber in addition to other natural ingredients to displace methyl cellulose in vegan meats. The Citri-Fi 100 citrus fiber series not only holds large amounts of water but also serves as a natural emulsifier. Due to its insoluble and soluble fiber matrix which contains high levels of intact pectin, this natural ingredient creates emulsions that contribute to meat alternatives succulence. As a result, the meat-free products create the juicy sizzle during the cooking process.

This 100 series in conjunction with Citri-Fi TX10 works together to create the emulsion and meat-like texture that consumers expect in meat substitutes. In addition, these two products work synergistically with three natural solutions to help replace methyl cellulose. As a consequence, these solutions create consumer friendly food labels. The three solutions include ingredients such as starches, enzymes, alginates or gellan gum.

To learn more about these potential clean solutions, please contact Fiberstar technical support team at techsupport@fiberstar.net. The team will cut the development time by recommending the ideal system and demonstrate how to create high quality healthy vegan meat products via technical service, tutorials and videos.