According to a recent study by Ipsos*, approximately 46% of Brits aged 16-75 are considering reducing their intake of animal products in the future, with 58% now using plant-based meat alternatives in their diet.
Dining tables are seeing a transformation with traditional Christmas dishes, once heavy on animal-based ingredients, now catering to plant-based diets.
Despite this, a survey** has revealed that 66% of people feel that plant-based alternatives taste worse than conventional meat, with a further 51% stating that taste and texture were the biggest reasons that they decided to reduce their use of meat alternatives.
With this growing demand for plant-based dishes, the food manufacturing industry faces formulation challenges, especially in masking undesirable flavours inherent in plant-based ingredients.
Daria Pashkova, Product & Marketing Manager at Ohly, a provider of yeast-based vegan flavour solutions, discusses how the taste functionality of yeast extracts can support food manufacturers in developing plant-based alternatives to meet the demands of consumers who wish to enjoy vegan and vegetarian Christmas dishes.
Formulation challenges in plant-based ingredients
Plant-based proteins often introduce “off-notes,” or undesirable flavours and aromas, to finished products. Soy ingredients, for instance, can have a “bean-like” taste from lipoxygenase activity, while nuts can add bitterness, and some legumes may create metallic or grassy undertones. If unaddressed, these flavours can make plant-based options less appealing to consumers.
During Christmas, sensory challenges become more pronounced when traditional flavours like umami-rich stuffing and creamy desserts are expected. For food manufacturers, developing plant-based products that align with these familiar holiday flavours is essential to meet consumer expectations.
Retaining authentic taste with off-note masking agents
Yeast extracts, with their natural, characteristic umami flavour derived from yeast cells, offer an effective solution to mask off-notes and improve taste in plant-based foods.
By incorporating yeast extract powder, food manufacturers can create plant-based foods that retain authentic taste and meet the demand for sustainable but flavourful alternatives to traditional animal-based options.
Produced through fermentation, yeast extracts release amino acids, peptides, and nucleotides that provide a rich umami taste. This can help to mask off-notes like bitterness or earthiness often found in plant-based proteins, improving the appeal of these foods.
By delivering depth, richness, and mouthfeel, yeast extracts can also reduce the need for high levels of salt or strong flavouring, which could overpower subtle holiday flavours. Containing compounds such as glutamic acid and nucleotides, yeast extracts interact with taste receptors to bring out umami flavours, which help to balance and counteract bland or unpleasant flavours commonly found in plant-based foods.
Applications in Christmas plant-based foods
For Christmas treats, yeast extracts are versatile. They are particularly effective in savoury applications, where they can provide long-lasting umami impact to mask unwanted flavours in plant-based appetisers, gravies, and stuffings.
Gravy, for instance, traditionally has a rich umami profile provided by meat-based stocks. When developing plant-based gravies, yeast extracts can replicate the deep umami and provide that rich, savoury taste that is expected from a Christmas spread, without relying on meat-based ingredients.
Yeast extracts can play a vital role in desserts, too, particularly in chocolate or coffee-based applications where they work well to bring out roasted or dark chocolate notes and round off creamy flavours. This is particularly beneficial as manufacturers seek ways to economise and adapt their recipes in the face of rising cocoa prices. Yeast extracts can help to bring out the naturally rich, complex flavours of cocoa, ensuring that these desserts remain indulgent and satisfying.
Future Innovations in plant-based Christmas dishes
As plant-based formulations continue to grow in popularity, food manufacturers are experimenting with yeast extracts’ natural umami not only to mask off-notes but also to support sodium reduction.
In the future, we may see yeast extracts coupled with other masking techniques, such as fermentation of plant proteins, to develop holiday dishes that taste closer to their traditional options.
Daria Pashkova, Product & Marketing Manager at Ohly says:
“As demand for plant-based holiday foods grows, yeast extracts offer an effective solution for masking off-notes and enriching both savoury and sweet food products.”
“By harnessing amino acids and nucleotides in yeast extracts, food manufacturers can counteract unwanted tastes in plant-based ingredients while delivering a rich, complex flavour profile that meets the traditional taste expectations of holiday meals.
“This approach not only enhances flavour but also aligns with consumers’ desire for healthier, more sustainable options, effectively bridging the gap between taste and plant-based preferences.
“For food manufacturers, adapting their recipes in this way is the key to creating successful plant-based products for the holiday season.”
