KaTech Ingredient Solutions announced the opening of a centre of excellence focused on the development of textural ingredient solutions for plant-based products.

For this new centre, which is co-located with the existing pilot plant in Lübeck, Germany, KaTech invested in state-of-the-art equipment for the production of meat and fish alternatives.

newprotein caught up with Alexander Maesse, Head of Technical at KaTech, to learn more about this expansion.

What made this investment necessary? 
This extension became inevitable due to the rising market demand for meat and fish alternative products. So far, the equipment in our technical centre has been extensively used to provide our customers with the right product developments.

However, with an ever-increasing demand for plant-based product development and a market that is expected to grow further in the future, it was time to invest. 
We believe that this expansion will enable us to support our customers even better in the production of plant-based textural ingredient solutions for their high-quality alternative meat and fish products.

What type of equipment did you invest on?
We added processing capabilities for different steps of  the production of plant-based meat and fish, such as cutting, mixing, emulsification, mincing, filling and cooking. The new equipment ranges includes a vacuum bowl chopper, a vacuum filling machine and a smoking and cooking chamber. 

How does this new centre of excellence provide more value to customers?
Part of our business model is to develop food solutions by simulating the production of a go-to-market ready products. This can only be achieved if trialled on a small scale but with equipment that is set up to mimic industrial-scale technology and processes. With our increased capabilities, we can help food manufacturers develop new products and bring them to market more quickly. 

What raw materials do you use?
We mainly work with plant proteins and fibres but also use hydrocolloids, starches and oils. We have gathered great knowledge around the development of burger patties, nuggets, all types of sausages, cold cuts and mince. 

How do your ingredients improve texture in plant-based formulations?
We are looking into the best possible combinations of all sorts of proteins and fibres available, to provide newly developed products with a good bite, juiciness, taste, and flexibility. 

Plant proteins differ mainly in their gelling capacity and emulsifying abilities. As both qualities are important in comer products, it makes sense to choose a combination of plant proteins that not only emulsify well but also have good gelling properties.

To learn more about KaTech, visit katech-solutions.com