Blind tasting tests meat and plant protein blends

New products combining meat and plant protein have appeared in Finnish grocery stores, Yle reports. Three experienced cooks tested whether they could distinguish dishes made with meat, plant protein or a combination of both.

The products include minced mixtures used like ground meat, as well as meat and plant protein combined in items such as meatballs. They are designed to make it easier for consumers to add plant protein to their diets and replace some meat.

Marttaliitto chief specialist Niina Silander prepared four versions of pasta Bolognese for the blind tasting. One contained a ready-made beef and pea protein mixture, while another used a combination Silander made herself. The remaining dishes contained either meat alone or plant protein alone.

Catering entrepreneur Pipsa Hurmerinta, food influencer Iman Gharagozlu and former construction industry worker turned food influencer Kalle Wallin took part in the test.

The tasters correctly identified many of the dishes, but made some mistakes when distinguishing the combination products from the meat version.

“It was not easy,” Gharagozlu said after the tasting.

Wallin said there were surprisingly few differences in flavour. Hurmerinta said the different cooking pots and slight variations in the tomato base affected her ability to compare the dishes.

The clearest differences emerged in the texture and mouthfeel rather than the taste.

Meat and plant protein can also be mixed at home

Silander tried to make the Bolognese sauces as similar as possible apart from their protein sources. For one version, she used a ready-made mince containing beef and peas.

“If you are used to using ground meat in cooking, replacing it with a combination product works very well. The way it is used is very similar,” Silander said.

She also prepared her own mixture using equal parts ground chicken and pea protein granules. The granules had to be softened first.

Replacing some of the meat with legumes adds fibre and reduces saturated fat. Based on Silander’s experience, plant proteins can replace a fairly large portion of the meat without significantly changing the flavour of the dish.

Companies seek easier options

Companies are developing combination products as eating habits change. Some consumers want to increase their use of plant proteins alongside animal-based foods for health and environmental reasons.

“For some people, flexible plant-based eating is not so easy, and they are looking for easier solutions than before,” said Juuso Reinikainen, who is responsible for marketing at Snellmanin Lihanjalostus Oy.

HK Foods also says convenience is what attracts consumers to combination products.

“The product would be ready to use immediately,” said Marianne Nordblom, the company’s head of innovation.

Snellman’s light beef and pea mince, which entered stores at the end of last year, has risen into the company’s 15 best-selling products, according to Reinikainen. He said this was very unusual for a new product. The company recently launched a second combination mince.

Nordblom said HK Foods is also researching and developing combination products. The company has introduced a ready-cooked product for large-scale kitchens containing beef, pea protein and fermented onion.