Cosun Protein: Unlocking fava bean functionality for elevated alt-dairy taste and textures

25 Jun 2024 --- Consumers are increasingly embracing healthy diet concepts and seeking plant-based proteins in sustainable meat and dairy substitutes that mimic the taste and texture of their animal-based rivals. Food Ingredients First sits down with Thijs Bosch, managing director of Cosun Protein, to explore how this trend is driving NPD in the alternative protein space and technology’s role in helping manufacturers meet consumer demands for sustainable protein products that are cost-effective and climate-smart.

Most consumers lean toward products with plant-based protein, such as plant-based meat and plant-based dairy, as they consider them healthy and natural, according to Innova Market Insights’ global consumer research. This demand is reflected in F&B product launches with alternative protein use rising by 6% from July 2018 to June 2023, led by meat substitutes (+22%) and dairy (+13%).

Cosun Protein taps into Tendra, a functional plant-based protein made from fava beans with a high protein content, neutral taste profile, high solubility and “exceptional” emulsification properties, making it ideal for dairy alternative categories where taste and texture have previously underperformed.

Attaining the right texture and taste consumers expect, however, comes with its own challenges.

What are the key challenges plant-based food formulators face in achieving the taste and texture consumers demand? 
Bosch: The challenges range from the crop to the production of the protein ingredient to the use of the ingredient in the final application. The key challenge is to generate a functional and soluble protein ingredient with a neutral taste profile while applying minimal processing. For example, the quality of the starting material can be influenced not only by the plant variety used and the climate but also by the pre-processing steps, such as dehulling and milling. Furthermore, during the processing, it is critical to prevent the unfolding of the protein to retain its naive, very soluble state. While processing extremely mildly, it is still important to remove any off-flavors present. 

Cosun’s Tendra protein is made using a mild extraction technology from fava beans and has a neutral taste profile.Have you noticed any emerging trends in the plant-based taste and texture domain? 
Bosch: The use of fermentation technology to generate very sustainable and nutritional ingredients is an area that is clearly gaining momentum. For example, fungal fermentation, which generates biomass with good nutritional values, a neutral taste and a fibrous texture, looks like a very promising route for making highly sustainable meat alternatives. 

We also see mycoprotein biomass fermentation gaining momentum, which generates a new nutritional ingredient for meat alternatives with texture and neutral or umami taste profile. This is also an area of interest for us in which technology plays a significant role.

Another emerging trend in which fermentation plays a role is the transformation of plant extracts or side streams into functional ingredients for plant-based products. Many start-ups are active in this area and we also follow this trend closely and are looking into partnerships in this space. 

How is Cosun tapping into the role of technology to target animal-like textures and tastes in plant-based foods? 
Bosch: Within Cosun Protein, we have developed a proprietary “mild extraction” technology that enables the development of very functional and neutral-tasting proteins. Our Tendra protein is our first commercial product, has strong emulsification properties and can be used in many dairy alternatives and sports nutrition applications. It can be used to make a strong emulsion in ice cream or a yogurt texture without the need for additives and is fully capable of replacing milk proteins. This ensures a clean label and an excellent taste in line with the “original” animal-derived alternative. 

The protein can be used to make a strong emulsion in ice cream or a yogurt texture without the need for additives.To generate an optimal product, we work together with many parties in the value chain. We have close cooperation with the farmers (our fava bean suppliers), the manufacturers of the end products (for example, plant-based yogurt) and the retailers. We want to make sure the right fava bean varieties are used and that the dehulling and milling of fava beans are optimized for our process. Furthermore, we help manufacturers to include our protein in the most optimal manner to enable full functionality and the desired end product. 

What can we expect from Cosun Protein in the plant-based protein space in the future?
Bosch: We are dedicated to creating the next generation of plant-based proteins that will change the plant-based standard in taste, texture, sustainability and nutrition. Of course, we will continue to scale our Tendra fava protein volumes further, but we will also extend our portfolio with new plant-based protein ingredients. Our goal is to develop multiple functional and tasty protein ingredients that change the way we innovate with plant proteins.

For all our new initiatives, the following ingredient properties will be critical: functional, enabling clean labels, sustainable and locally sourced and produced with minimal processing. In this way, we will enable our customers to generate plant-based products that are fully in line with consumer needs. 

By Insha Naureen