Preferred Taste and Plant-based Protein

Plant-based is a new buzzword in healthy eating, as consumers explore nontraditional ways to create diets that meet their chosen lifestyles. Despite the nutritional desirability of these plant-based applications, they face challenges in sensory quality, as they lack many of the traditionally desirable flavor compounds that produce a sense of sweetness or satiety. Fortunately for brands hoping to play in the trendy plant-based application space, Virginia Dare has recently done extensive work on product prototypes that achieve preferred taste while maintaining the nutritional profile consumers seek, all created using our Taste Improvement platform of ingredients.

The first product concept, recently shown at the IFT, is for a shake with protein derived from pea, brown rice, and hemp. Sunflower creamer allows for an appealing texture while maintaining an application fully derived from plants. Our taste improvement technology solves the off flavor challenges of working with these plant-based ingredients, masking their less than desirable flavor to deliver a complex and satisfying flavor profile combining chocolate with a burst of hot pepper flavor.

Additionally, we created both pre- and post-workout dry mix beverages, which offer a high level of fortification, including amino acids, vitamins, and botanicals, as well as caffeine for a stimulant. Our masking and characterizing flavors allow these prototypes to have preferred taste to a degree that would not previously have been possible in such applications.

The final prototype is for a plant-based protein bar, fortified with pea and rice protein to allow for great nutritional content with no animal products. A combination of characterizing and masking flavors from our Taste Collaborations allows the snack bar to deliver preferred taste without any of the less desirable sensory aspects of the plant proteins.

To learn more about these application prototypes or our Taste Collaborations platform, get in touch or request a sample.