Peas take aim at emerging meat substitute market
by Kieran Brett
Soybeans currently dominate the market for food products that replace meat with plant protein. With support
from ACIDF, Xiangfeng Meng, is showing that protein from Alberta-grown peas is a viable competitor.
These days, many people are
interested in eating less meat.
Whether their motivation is
nutritional, environmental or
philosophical, these consumers
have helped create a booming
market for meat substitute products.
Think of all the veggie burgers,
meat-free cold cuts and vegan
meals now available at your local
supermarket, and many restaurants
too. Most of these meat substitutes,
also called meat analogs, are made
with soybean protein.
By some estimates, the North
American meat substitute market
could approach $4.6 billion by 2019.
This opportunity led Xiangfeng Meng, pictured above, to ask: why
should soybean growers have it all to themselves?
“The idea is to have a meat alternative other than soya protein,” says Xiangfeng, Research
Scientist with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development’s Food Science and Technology
Centre in Brooks. “Most meat analogs made with soya also have gluten, which is an allergen
for many people, so that is another opportunity.”
Different ingredients, variable processes
Since 2012, with funding from the Alberta Crop
Industry Development Fund, Alberta InnovatesBio Solutions, Alberta Pulse Growers
Commission and Daiya Foods, Xiangfeng, and
her team have been pioneering methods to make
a meat substitute from pea protein using a highmoisture extrusion technology.
How do you make a meat analog that looks, feels
and tastes like the real thing? If you’re talking
about soy protein, the process is well-established,
but also proprietary and closely guarded by
manufacturers.
For Xiangfeng, doing the same with pea protein,
pictured left, meant starting from scratch. For the
past two years, she’s developed and tested many
combinations of dry ingredients (with pea protein
isolate accounting for at least 50%), plus various amounts of added water, with many
mechanical variations and processing speeds.
“The temperature of the barrel, or thermal energy input, is very important,” she says. “An
extruder is normally built for frictional heat, but under a high-moisture condition in the
extruder, there’s not much mechanical energy generated.”
Xiangfeng’s first priority was to develop a viable recipe and process for a gluten-containing
meat analog. She accomplished that, and now has a method that can be showcased to food
manufacturers. The gluten-free version? That’s going to take a little longer. Absent the wheat
gluten that’s a key ingredient in the first recipe, the heat dynamics have been different, and
it’s been trickier to get the barrel temperature right.
Processors come knocking
Over the next 18 months,
Xiangfeng will continue this
work on two levels. First, she’ll
further refine the glutencontaining meat analog by
building in different flavour
profiles. Second, she’ll
continue to test
new ideas for the
gluten-free meat
analog. Once
they’re ready to
taste, both product
streams will be
subject to a
‘sensory panel’ of
people who’ll
evaluate them for appearance, flavour and texture.
The goal, of course, isn’t just scientific advancement but
Photos courtesy of Meng Xiangfeng
real-world product development that benefits growers.
Manufacturers, meanwhile, have been quick to see the potential in Xiangfeng’s work on a
meat analog made from pea protein. They want in.
“We’re already working with a B.C. company that wants to commercialize,” she says, “and
another company from Ontario that wants to make a meat analog for pets. We’ll try to do
something with these companies in 2015.”
Jenn Walker, Research Officer with the Alberta Pulse Growers Commission, notes that the
organization’s core mandate is to increase the sale of pulses for the benefit of the province’s
growers. In her view, Xiangfeng Meng’s work with pulse protein fits the bill. APGC is keenly
interested in new processing techniques and the utilization of pulses, both whole and
fractions.
“This project focuses on a novel use that will help to sell more pulses,” Walker says.
“Domestic consumption of pulses is relatively low compared to other countries and
partnering in the development of a meat analog affords a unique opportunity.”