Kerry, a global leader in taste and nutrition, is pleased to introduce SucculencePB, its game-changing solution for plant-based meat alternatives that re-creates the delicious, juicy taste of meat craved by consumers everywhere. SucculencePB also delivers a much-improved nutritional profile and environmental impact and, importantly, solves the “dry mouth” taste challenge in cooked plant-based meat alternatives. The result is an authentic, succulent and meat-like sensation in the plant-based eating experience that consumers are sure to love.
The SucculencePB patent-pending technology gives manufacturers of plant-based burgers and sausages, a vegan-friendly way to lock in moisture and flavour and greatly improve the taste and nutritional qualities of their products to satisfy consumer expectations. It also advances the sustainability and “clean label” credentials of plant-based meat products by enabling the significant reduction—or complete removal—of oils and fats such as coconut or palm oil.
In addition, the use of SucculencePB in plant-based meat production delivers impressive nutritional benefits, including up to a 74% reduction in fat, a 97% decrease in saturated fat content, and up to a 69% drop in calorie count. These advances can enable products to be scored much higher on local and regional market front-of-pack labelling and nutrition rankings, such as the Nutri-Score and the UK traffic light system.
Darren O’Sullivan, Global Portfolio Director of Emerging Taste Technologies for Kerry, commented on the new product announcement: “When it comes to plant-based meat alternatives, most consumers are not willing to compromise on taste. They want alternatives that are juicy and succulent, and they want them to taste authentically like meat. At the same time, consumers are demanding products that are healthier, sustainable and made with recognizable ingredients. SucculencePB is a game-changing solution that will elevate taste in the meat-alternative marketplace.”
Succulence drives success in plant-based meat —Kerry global consumer research
Kerry’s recent global research on consumer taste preferences in plant-based burgers found overall that consumers of such products want them to taste like meat—only better. The challenge involves more than just flavour: Consideration must also be given to texture and mouthfeel. Stepping Up Taste in Plant-Based found that 70% of consumers in the four countries surveyed (the UK, US, Australia and Brazil) are likely to buy a “succulent” burger. It also found that over 80% of US consumers believe a “juicy” burger would taste delicious, while 76% confirmed their likelihood of buying a plant-based burger that’s crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside.
O’Sullivan continued: “The Kerry team has worked intensively for years to develop SucculencePB as a significant advance to make plant-based meat alternatives tastier for mainstream consumers. By retaining moisture, SucculencePB enables product developers to deliver delicious, juicy products with improved nutritional profiles and a cleaner, more sustainable back of pack. It’s a simple solution to use in formulation – a convenient 1:1 replacement for certain oils and fats, and offers manufacturing benefits too, especially when replacing hard fats. This is an exciting taste and nutritional advance in plant-based meats that consumers will certainly notice.
“We look forward to partnering with plant-based meat manufacturers to develop products that will meet consumer taste demands while delivering on the enormous sustainability promise inherent in the plant-based food and beverages movement. Kerry is delighted to unveil SucculencePB as a valuable solution in the European plant-based market, with plans to roll out globally throughout 2023.”
