PrimeLock+ mimics animal fat cells by protecting the flavour and fat during cooking, releasing it gradually. By separating the flavour from the protein, plant-based burgers maintain their juiciness and give a better mouthfeel, according to Givaudan.
Visual appeal is also improved – PrimeLock+ creates a marbled, fat like appearance while reducing fat by 75% and calories by 30%, the company claimed.
Global interest
Garofalo said uptake for the new ingredient was strong, with a lot of interested being generated across the globe.
“We’ve presented it in different types of applications and what we have seen is that some of the customers have liked it so much that they have started some pilot tests – some are even going to test with consumers,” he said.
“Development of new products takes time – though over the last few years times have been shortened – but we are hopeful to see the first few products on the market [made using PrimeLock+] somewhere in 2022.”
When asked if PrimeLock+ was the start of a complete overhaul on how we eat meat, Garofalo was quick to state that consumers will still want to eat meat, even if a completely plant-based option that perfectly mimicked meat was available.
Why eat meat?
“People eat meat for many different reasons,” he explained. “Part of it is for the nutrition you get, part of it is because of the effect it has on think – our memories. So are we going to replace meat completely? Absolutely not.
“All of us will enjoy, at one point or another, a piece of meat – unless of course you are vegan or a vegetarian. For those of us that really like to have meat once in a while, they will have it.”
Garofalo also highlighted the environmental benefit of replacing some of the meat that we consume with plant-based analogues. Plus, by reducing the amount of meat that we consume as a whole, it puts less strain on the supply chain and gives rise to opportunities for consumers that might not have been able to afford meat products to try more expensive cuts if there is less demand for them.
