5 New Category-Shaping Plant-Based Foods
Published 30 January 2024
As explored in our Look Ahead Food & Beverage: 2023 report, product development across the plant-based food industry is soaring. More realistic and sophisticated iterations of traditional proteins now offer greater choice and satisfaction when it comes to consumers’ plant-centric needs. Here are five innovations making great strides in flavour, texture, mouthfeel and structure.
1. World-First Animal-Free Liquid Egg: Californian food producer The Every Company has created a liquid egg product without the involvement of any feathered friends. Developed using an animal-free ovalbumin and yeast-based precision fermentation, the eco-aligned Every Egg delivers 8g of protein per serving, as well as zero cholesterol or saturated fat.
2. ‘Skin-On’ Wings: UK alt-meat producer This has partnered with Scottish brewery and pub chain BrewDog to launch Europe’s first ‘skin-on’ vegan chicken wings. They’re manufactured from pea and soy protein and coated in a crispy-seaweed-based ‘skin’ to simulate the crunchy multi-layered texture and mouthfeel of biting into the real deal. Rather than using a replica of white meat, the brands chose to bring a “darker cut” to market to mirror the genuine article.
Whole-cut animal meat products, such as chicken wings and legs, have a complex three-dimensional architecture in which protein fibres are bound together by a network of connective tissue and intramuscular fat. This structure provides juiciness and incredible texture when eaten – which we’ve now been able to mimic.
The Every Company
The Every Company
The Every Company
 The Every Company |  The Every Company |  The Every Company |
This x BrewDog
3. Two-Toned ‘Turkey’ Meat: For Christmas 2023, British supermarket chain Asda retailed a two-toned ‘turkey’ product called OMV! Vegan No Turkey. This enabled consumers to choose between the white or dark meat, just as one would when eating an actual turkey. Made using a blend of soya, wheat and pea proteins, the commercial availability of such a sophisticated product is a big step forward in the taste experience of everyday and celebratory alt-protein products. See also Celebratory Food & Drink Trends: The New Decadence.
4. ‘Bone-In’ Ribs: Slovenian food tech start-up Juicy Marbles (one of Stylus’ Changemakers for 2024) has designed ‘bone-in’ plant-based ‘ribs’ – offering the joy of eating meat off the bone. The ‘bones’ are made from soy-based plant protein and, according to the company, contain as much protein as beef jerky. The company is also known for creating the world’s first plant-based fillet mignon and the largest piece of plant-muscle to date.
Asda
Juicy Marbles
Juicy Marbles
 Asda |  Juicy Marbles |  Juicy Marbles |
5. 3D-Printed Eel: Providing a more sustainable way to enjoy eel, Israeli biotech start-up Steakholder Foods has recently succeeded in creating the world’s first 3D-printed version. To produce this edible, plant-based materials were bioprinted into an eel-like shape, but in future, the company hopes to incorporate cultured eel cells into the recipe. The product’s visual and textural likeness to real eel is a huge success.
Although eel may not seem an obvious ‘go-to’ for plant-based product development, the global eel market was estimated to be worth $4.3bn in 2022, and is expected to reach $4.8bn by 2028 (3DNatives, 2023). Alongside this, many consumed eels are overfarmed, causing the risk of extinction for numerous species.
Steakholder Foods
Steakholder Foods
 Steakholder Foods |  Steakholder Foods |