Royal DSM unveils its complete portfolio of integrated solutions for creating stand-out plant-based meat alternatives. The range is designed to enhance taste, texture and nutritional value, while also managing sodium content in meat alternative applications such as burgers, sausages and nuggets. Featuring a selection of yeast extracts, process flavors, hydrocolloids and nutritional ingredients, DSM’s full portfolio provides food producers with the tools they need to get to this thriving market fast, and meet growing consumer demand for an authentic, enjoyable and nourishing meat alternative experience.

While the demand for meat continues to grow, the retail value of meat alternatives is expected to more than double this decade. However, as the trend gains traction, consumer expectations and preferences are becoming more sophisticated. It is no longer enough that a product is plant-based. Consumers are increasingly looking for an end-to-end experience that offers great taste, compelling texture and mouthfeel, as well as a rich nutritional profile. Meanwhile, they expect reduced levels of sodium in their foods – which is typically present in high quantities in meat alternative products. This presents a range of complex challenges for manufacturers in this space.

DSM’s plant-based meat alternative solutions include: high nucleotide yeast extracts, such as Maxarome® Select, which help to mask the ‘beany’ off-flavors typically associated with plant-based proteins and create a rich umami taste; Multirome®, which increases juiciness and creates a succulent, fatty mouthfeel and experience; the concentrated Maxavor®flavor range to provide the desired meaty taste direction; and GELLANEER™gellan gum, which enhances water binding capacity for improved juiciness, while also building an authentic meaty texture and bite. For great-tasting products that also offer an appealing nutritional profile, DSM’s Quali® vitaminsand Premix Solutionscan be added to fill the gaps in the nutritional profile of plant based products, while the Maxavor® RYE LSrange can deliver a meaty flavor with reduced sodium to manage salt content.

DSM’s combined ingredient capabilities in taste, texture and nutrition not only enable meat alter-native producers to optimize the cost-performance ratio of their recipes, but also amplify front-of-pack claims thanks to DSM’s deep-rooted expertise into nutrition science.

Gilbert Verschelling, Director Business Development & Innovation at DSM, comments “Delivering plant-based products that meet today’s evolving consumer demands is no easy task for food manufacturers. At DSM, we are uniquely positioned to help producers create truly enjoyable meat-alternative products that will tick all boxes for consumers. Our complete integrated portfolio of solutions for plant-based meat alternatives complements DSM’s wider plant-based offering, includ-ing its range of recently launched solutions for dairy alternatives.”

DSM aims to support the agri-food sector in delivering high-quality, nutritionally valuable protein products, supported by its in-depth application and technical experience, as well as its regulatory know-how and expertise across the nutrition, flavor, sensory and materials sciences.

Source: DSM

Researchers from Guangxi University and South China Agricultural University successfully developed rice mutants that are high yielding and with enhanced aroma. This was achieved using the gene editing tool CRISPR-Cas9 as reported in Plants.

Increasing grain yield and quality are usually difficult to achieve because the mechanism for altering both traits is antagonistic, however, both improvements are vital for breeders and consumers. Previous research has pinpointed some genes linked to cytochrome P450 family that control rice organ growth, however, their function in regulating grain yield was unclear. Thus, the research team used CRISPR-Cas9 to simultaneously edit three cytochrome P450 homoeologs (Os03g0603100, Os03g0568400, and GL3.2) and OsBADH2. The rice mutants were assessed using RNA-sequencing and proteomic analysis.

Results showed that high mutation efficiency was attained, and the mutations that occurred were mostly deletions with no off-target mutations. Increases grain size and aroma compound were achieved without affecting other agronomic traits.

Read the research findings in Plants.

Source: isaaa.org