Vegan nutrition advances II: Exploring animal alternatives to foods and supplements

13 Jul 2023 --- In this second of our two-part special report on vegan innovation, Nutrition Insight continues our conversation with professionals and experts from Sensus, International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF), Sensient, Activ’Inside and GC Rieber VivoMega about the alternatives being created in the vegan supplement space.

Simon Riise, director of business development at GC Rieber VivoMega, highlights: “The Council for Responsible Nutrition reported that more than half of consumers (52%) who take supplements reported taking a ‘specialty’ supplement, the most noted of which included omega 3s.”

“As omega-3s are one of the more popular supplements, many are keen on vegan alternatives, especially if they offer a high-quality and effective product with great sensory profiles.”

GC Rieber VivoMega released a new vegan algae oil offering 700 mg/g and 400 mg/g DHA concentrate, with a minimum of 90% triglycerides and leading quality parameters.

“The key differentiators for our algae oil concentrates are quality, stability, consistency, and minimal waste. We have leading TOTOX parameters, and as far as I’ve seen, VivoMega’s Algae Oils are the only products with a ‘passed cold test’ on spec, meaning stability and clarity of the oil, down to 0 °C,” details Riise.

In line with the launch, Nandrianina Raboanason, marketing specialist at Sensient Savory Europe, adds: “Recently, we have begun to see others including egg (liquid or in its original form), meringue (using aquafaba), foie gras, chocolate and vegan alternatives in specialized nutrition: omega 3 and omega 6 rich food supplements switched from fish derivate to algae derivate ingredients.”

Plants boosting collagen
Maite Jeanroy, marketing and communication manager, Activ’Inisde spotlights SkinAx², the company’s vegan solution that naturally boosts the body’s collagen production for skin health, “scientifically proven to increase collagen synthesis by 34%.”Riise of GC Rieber VivoMega says that consumers’ response to veganism depends on the category.

“By utilizing plant-derived ingredients, the environmental impact is significantly reduced compared to animal-derived alternatives. SkinAx² incorporates vegan sources such as grape flavanol monomers and SuperOxide Dismutase,” she adds.

“SkinAx² addresses the nutritional needs of vegan consumers by providing nutrients like vitamin C and zinc, known for their association with skin health and protection.”

Functionality in plant-based delivery formats
Michael Baumann, global strategic marketing manager at IFF delves into gelatin alternatives for supplement formats, such as pectin, starch, carrageenan or agar.

“The challenge for manufacturers is to ensure vegan gummy formulations taste as good as their animal-based counterparts and deliver the chewable experience consumers crave. This is where balancing flavors, nutritional ingredients and hydrocolloids can make or break a vegan gummy and why it’s crucial to fully understand how all ingredients in a formulation interplay across its shelf-life,” he continues.

“For vegan hard capsules, today’s formulators can fall back on various capsule technologies such as pullulan capsules that support organic label claims, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) capsules – either first or second generation, and HPMC capsules with a tailored release profile or unique flavor experience.”

Vegan options in the softgel space leverage technologies using seaweed or more recent innovations use gellan gum or pectin to form the capsule shell, shares Baumann. “For instance, softgels with plant-based omega-3s or enhanced bioavailable curcumin fills require strong shell-forming properties that some seaweed-based products can now provide.”

Diversification of plant-based cuisines
Jolanda Vermulst, manager of market intelligence at Sensus, lists plant-based burgers, vegan schnitzels, veggie nuggets, chicken-style plant-based filets, turkey-flavored slices and plant-based veg wurst as recent alternatives to animal-based food.

However, Raboanason of Sensient explains: “Initially, manufacturers mainly focused on mimicking meat and poultry. In line with growing demand for vegan choices but with a taste and flavor experience akin to meat and non-vegan foods, this trend is growing to cover ethnic foods, fish and seafood, and dairy in the form of drinks and cheeses.”

“Plant protein bases are also witnessing a switch from soy and wheat to using pulses and other less known plants providing distinctive textures and taste properties that are often less well known and accepted by consumers,” she says.Raboanason from Sensient observes the rise of flexitarians.

However, Raboanason flags that the biggest challenge manufacturers face is the taste of the protein base.

Can there be a vegan alternative to every nutrition product?
According to Vermulst of Sensus, consumers will only accept every vegan alternative if they have a similar taste and texture to the original. “Therefore, I think the answer is no.”

Raboanason adds: “Not necessarily, but at Sensient, we are investing in advanced, innovative technologies to overcome the challenges faced by food manufacturers in replicating animal-based foods and drinks, and Nacre checks many of the ‘challenges boxes’ that vegan nutrition faces.”

On the other hand, Riise of GC Rieber VivoMega thinks there can “potentially” be vegan alternatives to all animal-based nutrition, “but it will have to make sense from an overall perspective.”

“At some point, it boils down to raw material availability, quality and consumer willingness to pay,” he concludes. “With today’s technology and research into new products, we could have vegan alternatives to many nutritional products.”

By Venya Patel