Plant-based products vary, from 100% vegan to products where only some of the meat component is replaced with a non-animal alternative. This means there are a wide range of low or no-meat alternatives, all setting different demands for high-quality functional ingredients. At Lyckeby, we offer a variety of functional starches and fibers suitable for creating the high-quality meat-free products of your choice.
Plant-based
The interest in plant-based, vegan and other types of meat-free foods has grown enormously in recent years, and new consumers are constantly finding their way to plant-based food alternatives.
Plant-based meat alternatives are often made by combining different types of legumes, vegetables, grains, and plant proteins with water, oil, and seasoning. The Lyckeby portfolio contains a variety of starches that can be incorporated into the mixture. These starches provide increased viscosity, which enables easier formation of the product and means it retains its form and moisture during cooking.
Vegan meat alternatives are all about the texture. At Lyckeby, we produce potato fiber with the unique ability to absorb large amounts of water and oil – water equivalent to twelve times its own weight. This property provides higher yield and increased juiciness to plant-based products. The addition of potato fiber also reduces the stickiness of the mixture, making it easier to handle when forming things like patties. Reduced adhesion of the mixture to process equipment also enables lower product loss and less downtime during manufacturing.
LYCKEBY CAREFUL is a range of high performing functional starches that are easy to use. The products provide high viscosity and contribute to improved textures in various food applications. Find out more here.
Creating a plant-based product without using eggs? Eggs have a variety of functions depending on the product. Lyckeby’s emulsifying starches are suitable for replacing eggs in many products where the emulsion-stabilizing properties of the egg are required. The starch is modified to act as an emulsifier by binding to both water and oil, creating a stable emulsion system within your vegan product regardless of whether the product is made with a hot or cold process. The emulsion-stabilizing starch is tolerant to harsh processing such as high shear and low pH, and is excellent for products such as vegan mayonnaise and dressings.
Lyckeby offer a range of different emulsion-stabilizing starches depending on the desired consistency and fat content. Whether you desire a thick and spoonable vegan mayonnaise or a creamy, thin dressing, we have the solution.
In traditional cheese, milk proteins play an important functional role, as they form the curd that makes up the cheese. They provide texture, mouthfeel, and also function as emulsion stabilizers. But when making plant-based cheese, the milk proteins have to be replaced with alternative ingredients that provide the same properties. The Lyckeby development team has worked intensively with both cheese and vegan applications, and as a result we are proud to offer a wide range of exclusively developed starches designed especially for creating plant-based analogues with textures and melting properties similar to those of many popular traditional cheeses. Our solutions provide a diversity of textures, from soft and elastic to hard and brittle, while simultaneously stabilizing the emulsion. Using Lyckeby starches enables you to replace the milk proteins partly or completely, depending on your objective. The potato starches in our portfolio also have the benefit of being highly flavor-neutral. In other words, they don’t add any unwanted tastes to the application.
Plant-based ‘dairy’ products are often formulated to mimic true dairy products, using processes including steps such as fermentation, low acidity, and UHT treatments. Lyckeby starches suitable for plant-based dairy products are designed to tolerate these harsh process steps, while simultaneously providing viscosity, a smooth mouthfeel, and control of syneresis in your products.
At Lyckeby, we’re always interested in your new product development. If you have an idea and you think starch could be an option (or if you think it may not work but still want to give it a try) we’re delighted to discuss your products and what we can offer. Our solutions and support have been implemented in various products on the global vegan food market, including vegan cheese, meat alternatives, desserts, and sauces. We love sharing our knowledge about starches for vegan applications, as well as our development recipes, with our customers.
When you’re refining existing recipes or developing new products, we want to help!
We offer thorough, fast development support from our starch specialists to help you succeed with your products. We can also create individually customized solutions to meet your exact requirements.