Fermentation and plant-based products

Beer, bread, yoghurt. Fermented products are familiar to everyone. But fermentation can be used for a much wider range of products than just these old favourites. Looking to replace animal-derived products with plant-based ones? Fermentation is a natural way to improve the proteins for application of plant-based alternative products. 

When you are making plant-based products, it isn’t quite as straightforward as replacing the proteins with ones derived from plants. Plant-based proteins often have an unpleasant taste, and their solubility can vary depending on the source. Fermentation offers a solution, allowing you to change the characteristics of proteins ingredients. There is a huge range of microorganisms that can be used for such purposes. But not all microorganisms are suited for this. So, the first step is to find the right one for your needs by screening for the specific characteristics that your product needs. 

Another application of fermentation that is used at NIZO, is to remove the unpleasant taste of proteins derived from plant-based sources such as pea proteins. Pea proteins often have a beany taste due to amongst others hexanal. Certain microorganisms can break down hexanal, and therefore reduce or even remove the beany taste. The same process can be used to reduce other off-flavours. 

Besides removing unwanted flavours, fermentation can also be used to create the flavours you do want. Imagine, for example, recreating the taste of dairy products in plant-based alternatives.  

It can also improve the texture of products through exopolysaccharide (EPS) production or hydrolytic breakdown of proteins. This approach can, for example, be used to improve the texture and  mouthfeel of plant-based cream cheese. 

Finally, fermentation can be used to increase food safety by preventing the growth of unwanted bacteria. This happens through, among other things, the acidification of the product during fermentation. This is the fermentation that has been known and used since olden times. However, fermentation can also be used to produce antimicrobial components such as bacteriocins. In this way, outgrowth of unwanted (pathogenic) microorganisms can be inhibited. 

These application examples are just some of the ways that fermentation can be used to create and improve plant-based ingredients and products through natural means. If you would like to know more, you can watch the coming webcast on December 3, 3.00-3.30PM CET, where topics such as unwanted tastes and  improving textures through fermentation are discussed in more detail.