IFF Installs High-Moisture Extrusion Systems to Drive Innovation in Plant-Based Meat Market with Whole Cuts – vegconomist

Food and beverage leader IFF (NYSE: IFF) announces that it has invested in high-moisture extrusion (HME) technology systems to support manufacturers in creating fibrous, plant-based whole cuts.

The newly acquired HME systems, designed and manufactured by the global leader in extrusion technology, Coperion, feature exact powder and liquid feeders, ensuring high-quality production and remarkable flexibility, explains IFF. 

They have been installed and are already operational at the company’s innovation hubs across Europe, the USA, and Singapore. According to the company, this initiative is part of its continuous efforts to offer solutions and services to the plant-based meat and fish industry.

“Consumer demand for plant-based products that offer an experience akin to eating meat is huge, and HME is one of the best ways to meet it. This investment will allow us to deliver a wide range of benefits to our customers, helping them create innovative new meat analogues, and supporting them all the way from ideation to commercialization, ultimately allowing our customers to develop successful products faster,” said Alexander Lamm, principal food designer, at Nourish, IFF.

A new technology for a hungry world

According to IFF, the plant-based meat market is projected to reach a value of $6.4 billion in 2023, with double-digit growth expected over the next five years. HME technology is forecasted to play a significant role in this growth, accounting for around 20 percent of plant-based meat products worldwide, the company adds.

HME technology offers several advantages over other methods. If the interactions between processes, ingredients, flavors, and proteins are well understood, manufacturers can replicate the appearance and fibrous texture of animal whole-muscle cuts in fish and meat alternatives. In addition, they can leverage the technology to achieve the right juiciness and optimized taste while attaining cost-effectiveness, explains IFF.

To offer complete solutions for the design of products from start to finish, IFF is integrating HME into its service IFF PRODUCT DESIGN, which combines knowledge and expertise in ingredient and flavor design with advanced industry insights. The company recently partnered with Unilever to address the challenges of flavors in alt meat by studying the interactions between flavor and molecules.

“HME is a newer and changing technology which offers a huge range of possibilities for the future. Especially as concerns [mount] about feeding a fast-growing global population in a healthy and sustainable way,” said John Sheehy, Alternative Proteins, Coperion.