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Inside the Industry of Fabulous Fakes

© Jackie Hensler

Some people may think the taste of meatless chicken patties, veggie burgers, and soy hotdogs are a far stretch from tasting like the real thing. Some may even say it is quite an acquired taste. But for many vegetarians, soy products have become a means of substituting what is traditional food fare among meat-eaters.

Product developers seek novel flavor combinations to broaden the appeal of vegetarian dishes to mainstream audiences. Even traditional meat-eating consumers are taking a second glance at vegetarian foods. The color combinations from the variety of vegetables, combined with the ethnic spice blends, and the interest in soy-based foods add appeal to vegetarian entrées for the mainstream consumer.

Despite the soy industry's rise in the marketplace, statistics show that one-third of American consumers have never tried soy foods. Could flavor concerns be a reason?

Companies are working to change the public's perception of soy foods by introducing good-tasting products made from soy-based ingredients. Even so, flavoring vegetarian products has its challenges. Flavor suppliers add masking agents to cover up undesirable soy flavors, or by adding onion and garlic at low levels to round out the flavor. But some flavors tend to disappear in the soy protein mix, making it difficult to create an end product a consumer will like.

A recent national survey by the Vegetarian Resource Group in Baltimore believe that vegetarians' interest in a new food product is highest if the product is healthy, organic, vegan, and tastes good. It's not that vegetarians care so much that these products mimic meat flavors in the foods they eat, but that they are unique, tasty flavors.

It can be said that vegetarian and soy products have a reputation for being all-natural. But how many people actually know what they are eating?

The line of meatless meat flavors is a mixture of amino acids and simple sugars that are allowed to react under specific temperatures and times. This can be supplemented with yeast or vegetable protein that contain natural amino acids to yield characteristic meat flavors with high intensity aroma and taste profiles. Available vegetarian meat flavors include beef, pork, turkey, ham, bacon and chicken, which all can be made with additional characterizations such as roasted and brothy.

"Meat-like" soy burgers are made from soy protein and designed to imitate the taste and texture of hamburgers. Soy burgers, for example, account for more than half (54 percent) of all meatless patties sold. "Veggie/grain" patties, like the pioneering Gardenburger® Original, are not intended to imitate meat and are enjoyed for their own unique and delicious taste. The most common ingredients found in these products are vegetables, oats and grain.

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