When talking about savory dishes, some say meat is the powerhouse of savory taste. Since ancient times, from East to West, meat stocks were already favoured as a secret potion used in various dishes. The Greeks, Romans, and Asians often used stocks as the base for soups and stews; and stocks were considered the essential ingredients in households. Amino acids released during the simmering of meat for an extended period, combined with the fat & sugar—result in a flavourful base that is versatile for many dishes. Non-enzymatic browning happened during the long heating process, also adds to the complexity of the flavour, giving an authentic meaty taste.
Today, the use of stocks in many types of foods is still common. But to prepare stocks from scratch — simmering beef/chicken for 8 hours — is considered inefficient for industries. The time, energy, and effort required to do the conventional methods of preparing stocks are the pain points that the industry faced, especially in the HoReCa segment where they are more likely to do all the preparations from scratch on a kitchen scale. Aside from the inefficient preparation, the challenge also comes in terms of quality where stocks made from scratch have a shorter shelf life, uncontrolled microbial content, and it is harder to maintain the storage. This has triggered the rise in demand for meat extracts.
The rise of Meat Extracts
In recent years, the demand for meat extracts has increased due to the rising demand for delicious and nutritious food products. According to Transparency Market Research, the annual growth rate of meat extract products is projected to be at 8% between 2019 to 2029, with chicken extracts dominating the market.
The key drivers include the need for natural and less artificial flavor ingredients for food industries, as well as to meet regulatory requirements. Due to its high protein content, meat extracts are commonly used as a natural source to boost the meaty profile in processed foods, from noodles to instant bouillons, and snacks. As a middle note, meat extracts act as a bridge between the top note & base note which results in a more rounded taste. The addition of meat extracts imparts a favorable meaty body and mouthfeel.
Natural Meat Extracts can be obtained by cooking meat or bones with/without a drying process. More commonly, the enzyme was added resulting in controlled enzymatic hydrolysis and Maillard Reaction of meats and bones, involving reducing sugars and amino acids in peptides and proteins. This has resulted in the generation of strong chicken flavor, greatly contributing to the aroma and taste of foods.
Foodex Meat Extracts
Foodex Meat Extracts are now available in Chicken, Beef and Seafood Series. Using selected raw materials and modern technology, we are capable of producing meat extracts in powder form, paste form, and oil form. While powder form is the most favoured format for meat extracts in Southeast Asia due to its convenience and easy handling, paste and oil form are also increasingly used. With rising disposable incomes, innovation in product formats such as premium instant noodles with instant paste have also flourished. Meat extract in paste and oil formats in this case can improve the product performance.
Foodex has complete drying technologies, ranging from vacuum drier, microwave vacuum drier and spray drying. Each of these drying technology results in meat extract powders with different characteristics – from meaty, roasted to brothy.
Within the Beef Category, Foodex offers Beef Bone Powder with the marrowy & brothy characteristic. The unique character comes from the beef bone marrow which adds to the complexity of flavor resulting in an authentic beef flavor. We also have Beef Fat suitable for processed meats because of the fatty & light tallowy profile that also gives a thick mouthfeel. Our Beef Meaty Powder, Beef Brothy Powder, and Beef Roasted Powder are also available. These products are suitable for bouillon, soup, noodles, and base of beef seasonings/flavors.
In the Chicken Category, Foodex brings various solutions from its Chicken Meaty Powder with white meat accent processed with Maillard reaction; Chicken Brothy Powder with the brothy profile obtained through spray drying process; Chicken Roasted Powder which is processed with vacuum pan drying & microwave drying, and the versatile Chicken Fat. These products are also suitable for use in bouillons, soups, noodles, snacks, and processed meats products; and also, as the base of chicken seasonings/flavor.
For food businesses that are focusing on Asian menus or cuisines, for example ramen, Foodex’ Katsuo Dashi Powder might also go perfect as the base for the soup. With the fishy, smoky, and brothy characteristic, Katsuo Dashi Powder can be the most suitable ingredients for ramen & noodle products, soups, as well as frozen seafood products like fish cake, fish ball and crab stick amongst others. Meanwhile, its unique Fish Powder & Fish Oil with the fishy characteristic, as well as its Shrimp Powder & Shrimp Oil which resemble dried shrimp also go well with various products.
With FOODEX Meat Extracts as your natural addition, the meaty note, mouthfulness, and the rounded body of the products can be maximized while still maintaining the healthy product claim.
The above article is contributed by PT Foodex Inti Ingredients
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