Products such as sausages and burgers contain particularly high fat levels, and Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute predicts that the average German alone consumes 31kg of sausages per year, meaning high obesity and cardiovascular disease rates.
Mintel’s Global New Product Database shows increased interest in lupin as a food ingredient, with a search on behalf of FoodNavigator.com showing that, of 23 European launches of products listing ‘white lupin flour’, ‘lupin protein’ or ‘white lupin’ on labels from January 2005, 10 alone occurred in 2010.
The bulk of 2010 launches (4) comprised ready meals and meal centres – the latter consisting of ready meals without carbohydrates or side dishes – followed by processed fish, meat and egg products (3), snacks (2), and sauces and seasonings, desserts and ice cream and dairy (1 each).
Lupin launches fell during recession
Aside from two Europe-based bakery launches already this year, further Mintel data shows that lupin-based launches dipped slightly during the recession: with only 3 launches in 2009 after 6 in 2006 and 3 in 2007.
Additional figures suggest that use of lupin-based food ingredients have yet to catch on throughout the rest of the world, with only 2 launches to date beyond Europe from January 2005, both in 2007.
Hochdorf’s new burger and sausage applications are based on its existing Lupidor PF lupin flour extract, a pale yellow-coloured derivative that is high in protein (44%) and fibre (40%), while it contains 6% water.
Vincent Lebet, managing director, Hochdorf Nutrifood, said one of the firm’s new application enable it to cut meat levels in burgers by 35%, while increasing water content by around 16%.
Plant proteins save scarce meat
“This not only results in a fat-reduced product, but contributes actively towards the increasing scarcity of the meat resource,” he said.
Concerns about meat scarcity reflect pressure on fragile eco-systems and support for plant-based food ingredients as alternative protein sources, where the Fraunhofer Institute calculates that, where 40m2 of land yields just one kilogram of meat it could, for instance, produce 120kg of carrots.
Hochdorf lowered fat levels by 50% with its sausage application, while water content was also increased. “Even though the fat content was remarkably reduced and the water content increased in both applications, no compromises were made in taste,” said Lebet, adding that taste and texture consistent with full-fat products was crucial to market success when reducing fat.
The firm said Lupidor’s good taste is due to it positive mouth feel and its high water-binding capacity; this also allows it to increase water levels by 25% as against standard sausages.
Aside from high levels of dietary fibre, Hochdorf claims other advantages for Lupidor in sausages, including its potential to reduce use of seasoning and nitrite pickling salt.