“Whereas Potato Cheezz is a plant-based alternative to cheese, the further development of Potato TexaPure started with the idea of developing an ingredient for plant-based meat alternatives,” Carl tells us. “Gradually, we discovered that the product is also excellent for hybrid meat products. So, we can kill two birds with one stone.” As an ‘optimiser’, Potato TexaPure ensures an optimal taste experience.
Creamy, juicy, fat-free
Carl explains how this works: “The naturally creamy mouthfeel from the potato, imitates fat. This is particularly interesting for meat alternatives, where coconut fat is often used to achieve this effect. This is a healthier, more sustainable alternative.” Juiciness is also an important quality of Potato TexaPure, according to Carl. “Meat alternatives are often perceived as being dry. But like to Potato Cheezz, we do not remove the moisture from the potato in TexaPure but, instead, give it a function in the production process. This enables the product developers to use it to increase the juiciness of their final application.”
Optimal taste experience
There are also important differences between the two potato innovations. “In Potato Cheezz, flavourings are used to create the taste of cheese, but that’s not the case here: ‘Texa’ stands for texture and ‘Pure’ stands for virtually no additives in the product.” TexaPure itself has no flavour. And there’s an important reason for this: “An optimiser is not a product in itself, but enhances the product in which it’s used. TexaPure blends itself through the product when heated. As a result, you experience more juiciness, a more pleasant texture, and you taste the product better.”
Sustainable additive
In addition to the above characteristics, Carl sees another reason why Potato TexaPure is of interest to the whole meat and meat substitute industry: reducing the carbon footprint. “This is particularly the case for processed meat products, such as hamburgers, meatballs and chicken nuggets. If you replace 10% of the meat in your product with 10% TexaPure, you’ll save 10% of your footprint. Particularly in beef, but also in other meat products, this is a lot more environmentally friendly.”
Opportunities and challenges
Looking to the future, Carl hopes Potato TexaPure will play a major role within the hybrid meat segment. “This market is a hot topic at the moment, with several parties fully engaged in the development of hybrid products. By looking for the right partners, we hope to even achieve 50/50 hybrid meat products. While maintaining the same tasty result, of course.”
Besides the opportunities, this also brings challenges: “If you take away meat, you also take away protein. Because the potato contains only 2% protein naturally. This is why we’re now looking at adding some extra protein so that the customer doesn’t need to do this themselves. On the other hand, we want to add as little as possible, to keep the ingredient as pure as possible. Finding a way around this is the next step for us.”
Getting everything out of the potato
Thanks in part to the development of TexaPure, Carl sees a bright future ahead. “We’re seeing increasing support for hybrids in retail. Demand is also increasing in the food service and healthcare sectors. Providing more opportunities.” He also mentions further developments within Aviko Rixona, referring to ‘We know potatoes’. “This means we want to create value for everything from the potato, by being frontrunners in products, production and sustainability. We’re constantly looking at opportunities to get even more out of the potato.”
