Tapping into trends for different types of vegetable proteins, flavor and extracts company Prova is expanding its clean label portfolio with solutions that mask the off-notes often associated with alternatives such as pea protein. The French flavor specialist aims to get ahead of the curve on natural flavor extracts and is on a path toward alternative protein concepts that can be applied to the food of tomorrow as well as provide solutions that satisfy consumer trends within the beverage and confectionery categories.

Some of the innovative concepts coming out Prova’s showcase during Health Ingredients Europe (HiE) this week in Frankfurt include insects and chocolate products, vegan solutions, fat and sugar reduction solutions and, most significantly, how important vegetable proteins are within the food industry right now. The company’s concepts also tie into naturalness and free-from trends. 

Speaking to FoodIngredientsFirst at HiE, Prova’s Flavor Creation Lab Manager, Fabienne Clément, explains how the company typically works with extracts and flavors but also works on solutions for sugar and fat reduction.

“We see that the food industry is using more and more (vegetable) protein in their products and the use of this new protein is a challenge when it comes to the flavor. We need to try to reduce the off-notes of this,” she says. 

“When you use a pea protein, for example, there is a strong off-note that you need to reduce. The taste is not neutral at all and so the off-notes need to be masked with a flavor. Masking is a significant topic for us and we have some different natural masking flavors for a soya beverage,” Clément explains.

“We are presenting [at the show] two types ofThe busy Prova stand at HiE in Frankfurt, Germany. vegetable beverage, one with soya and the other with pea protein. We are also starting to work on whey protein because this also has a very strong taste but, for the time being, we are working more towards trying to mask the vegetable protein taste.”

Clément says that Prova specialists have been working on a wide range of conceptual products that demonstrate how flavor extracts can help improve the taste of vegetable protein-based products. This comes at the same time as the number of vegans and vegetarians increases all over the world, while the flexitarian diet is also a popular choice for mindful consumers looking to cut down their meat consumption on the grounds of health and ethics. 

There is currently a high demand for plant proteins in Europe and this market has experienced considerable segmentation over the last few years as food manufacturers, driven by consumer demand, opt for plant proteins rather than animal-based proteins. 

Meanwhile, the current European plant protein crop production is not sufficient to cover the growing demand, notes the European Commission, which is exploring how to harness the potential of the unio’s output.

One of Prova’s concepts is a vegan nougat, without eggs and without honey and with an Earl Grey natural flavor, a honey flavored lollipop without honey, “Ant Candy” and a “Cricket Financier” made with cricket flour. 

“Prova is an expert in extraction, we produce conventional extracts but also organic extracts and we use this extract in a waffle and a cocoa beverage, for example,” Clément adds. Prova’s Flavor Creation Lab Manager, Fabienne Clément.

In May, Prova launched a new range of cocoa extracts and flavors, which deliver a high impact and authentic chocolate taste and, just earlier this month, the company tipped authenticity and high impact flavors as key caramel drivers.

Another conceptual topic for Prova is reduction. 

“We can reduce the quantity of cocoa powder, for instance, to be replaced by a cocoa extract which counteracts the lack of cocoa powder. We also have a Madeleine without butter, using a natural added butter flavor which matches the taste of real butter.”

The final concept for Prova is “What’s next?” which focuses on the food of tomorrow. 

“This is important because we have to know what’s to come in the next 10 to 15 years, especially as we know that by 2030 the world’s population is estimated to reach 8.5 billion,” continues Clément.

“Of course, the food industry will have to produce some other types of food and some other efficient nutrients and other sources of protein which is very important for good health and sustainability.”

“Certainly, the food of tomorrow will include vegetable protein and also protein from insects. We are a flavor company, offering flavor solutions but we also need to develop functional flavor solutions. Because ingredients are more and more complex with different tastes. We will do this more and more.”

“That is the case with pea protein which is a functional ingredient. The future of Prova is that we need to follow the trends of the market,” continues Clément. 

“Already we see that we have more and more vegetarians and more vegan products, so the habit is changing now. Also, the millennial population is more open to change, because they travel, and they are open to tasting new products,” she concludes.

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