Are We Entering A 'New Era' Of Meat Alternatives?

Plant-based meat has gone through many iterations over the years. First came the the bland sausages and the bean burgers that fell apart with the slightest pressure. These gave way to meatier products made with soy or other plant protein bases, intended to mimic their animal-based counterparts as much as possible.

Now, the sector seems to be undergoing another evolution. According to Spanish plant-based food company Heura Foods, the alternative protein industry is entering a “new era” as it harnesses new technology to produce nutrient-dense products. Meanwhile, other brands have lately launched reformulated or new products using so-called “clean label” ingredients, and they’re not all trying to resemble meat. Vivera has launched whole foods Protein Bites. Beyond Meat has come out with the Beyond Sun Sausage, containing brown rice, lentils, and fava beans. It’s also working on a mycelium-based steak aimed at health-conscious consumers.

“We’re seeing a growing trend of European companies focusing on delivering next-generation products, often including clean-label ingredients, to deliver on key nutritional metrics, as well as flavour and texture,” Amy Williams, nutrition lead at non profit and think tank the Good Food Institute Europe, tells Plant Based News. “The nutritional opportunities offered by plant-based meat and dairy are also increasingly being recognized by healthcare professionals, with a recent report by the UK Health Alliance calling for more funding for research to develop these foods to help make diets healthier and more sustainable.”

So what does this mean for the future of plant-based meat? Are we going to see a return to the days of bean burgers or a new wave of vegan products entirely?

Less “processed”

The plant-based meat industry has lately developed a reputation for making “ultra-processed” food. The industry has pushed back on these claims, with Beyond Meat blaming “misinformation” for the perception that meat substitutes are unnatural and unhealthy.

“Although plant-based meat is one of the categories consumers most commonly associate with ultra-processed foods, there is solid evidence that plant-based products offer many health benefits over processed conventional meat,” says Williams. These include being lower in calories and saturated fat while being higher in fiber. But plant-based meat is often also lower in protein, and without fortification lacks some nutrients like vitamin B12.

Overall, there is also significant variability between the nutritional value of different plant-based brands, given the variety of ingredients that have been used in pursuit of recreating meaty textures and flavors. Many of these are additives, modified starches, and vegetable oils that have made people wary of them as processed foods. A 2023 report by Whole Foods said that consumers were steering away from products with ingredients they couldn’t find in their own kitchens. They want more “plant” in their plant-based products, according to Whole Foods.

In launching its Protein Bites, Vivera had consumers’ growing preferences for more “natural” meat alternatives in mind. “With the Protein Bites, Vivera is launching a variation that does not have to resemble meat, made entirely from natural protein sources with vegetables, legumes and grains in the leading role,” the company wrote in a press release at the time. They are almost something you could make at home, being about 72 percent pure vegetables, legumes, barley, and herbs.

Similarly, Beyond Meat made the Beyond Sun Sausage in response to increasing demand for “diverse and clean protein sources for various meals, occasions, and lifestyles.” One of the key differences in the Sun Sausage’s ingredients compared to a regular Beyond Sausage is much less vegetable starch and less methylcellulose, a common emulsifier in foods. But being “clean” may not just be a matter of changing ingredients.

New tech

A vegan baguette made with Heura plant-based ham — Heura Heura is moving away from traditional plant-based meat ingredients

Heura has a number of patents pending for new technology that it says can make plant-based products more nutrient-dense and high-quality. And it can do so without the need for the kinds of ingredients that consumers associate with ultra-processed foods.

“Rather than focusing solely on new ingredients, we need better technologies for product design,” Marc Coloma, CEO and co-founder at Heura Foods, said in a statement. Using “simple” thermo-mechanical techniques, which involve processing ingredients with heat, Heura says it can use plant proteins and healthy fats in place of additive, modified starches, and saturated fats. The new tech means it can use plants to create textures not just in plant-based meat but in other foods where this had previously not been possible, including cheese and pasta. This will boost the nutrient density of the foods just by “leveraging readily available” plant ingredients, said Coloma.

“We no longer need to wait years for new functional ingredients that are biomimic animal proteins,” he said. “We can now develop the next generation of products at scale, directly from plant proteins” that “require no regulatory approval.”

Williams also sees huge promise in fermentation for producing nutritious, tasty products. “Advances in fermentation are one exciting trend,” she says. “Swedish company Millow grows mycelium – fungi’s rapidly-growing ‘root structure’ – through oats to develop a meat-like texture, while Planted’s steak product shows how fermentation can be used to enhance the flavours of plant-based meat.”

Based on these developments, we may be seeing more products made with familiar, common plant ingredients, but transformed by technology into new textures, with their nutritional values brought to the fore.