Solbar flags up meat substitute texture development

06-Sep-2011 - Last updated on 08-Sep-2011 at 07:10 GMT

Solbar claims the latest addition to its textured vegetable protein range can copy almost any red meat, poultry, fish or sea food for vegetarian applications or can be used to add texture and cost benefits to actual meat products.

Alexandra Shnaiderman, marketing communications manager for the Israeli supplier, told FoodNavigator.com that the new ingredient, Supertex, which is an extruded blend of soy-derived textured vegetable protein, was developed when its R&D team was investigating ways to improve the fibre texture of meat substitutes.

The soy protein supplier claims the new ingredient has ‘excellent’ textural and chewing qualities, water holding capacity as well as a neutral taste and pale colour.

“Supertex offers unique chewing qualities in the world of meat analogues. After easy hydration it forms a matrix similar to muscle fibres. It also absorbs additional flavours well,” said Shnaiderman.

According to Solbar, food technologists can use Supertex instead of sourcing and blending functional soy proteins, stabilizers and texturing agents in-house. “Supertex is pretty much an 'all in one' solution when achieving the right texture is the prime issue,” claims Shnaiderman.

“Supertex offers an attractive nutritional profile,” continued the Solbar spokesperson. In terms of low sodium, low fat performance the company said that the ingredient, which consists of mostly protein and essential crude fibre, contains “a mere 1 to 2 per cent fat and similar sodium levels to other textured soy proteins.”

Consumer sensory testing panels evaluated a variety of end products that contained Supertex with “enthusiasm recorded across the board,” added Shnaiderman.

The supplier said it will demonstrate Supertex at the trade event, FIE, in Paris in November, along with its range for health bars as and powdered or UHT beverages.