Innovative Danish ingredients company KMC has managed to create textured potato protein that can be used as an ingredient in “plant-based meat.” The unique properties of potato protein have the potential to revolutionize plant-based meat products with an improved texture and nutritional values. The innovation is part of KMC’s strategy to find new uses for potato-based ingredients.

The plant-based market is on the rise and will grow significantly over the coming years. Many modern consumers want to reduce their meat intake but lack supermarket-available options at supermarkets that will help ease the transition toward a plant-based diet. KMC has taken a significant step toward a plant-based future, as they have managed to innovate extracted potato protein from being a powder ingredient into being a product with a structure very similar to meat.

This innovation can revolutionize the plant-based products that are available to consumers, as potato protein has properties that are especially relevant as an ingredient in meat supplements. Textured potato protein has high nutritional values, a meat-like structure, and frying crust.

“Textured potato protein has the properties that we know a lot of consumers look for when eating plant-based products,” says Jesper Burgaard, CEO of KMC. “There is as huge potential in potato protein as a food ingredient. Our goal at KMC is to drive the transition from animal-based ingredients to plant-based ingredients, and on this journey, we have made a real breakthrough toward better products for the consumer with this innovation.

“We started the production of potato protein for consumer products in 2019 because of the potential of the nutritional value as an ingredient,” Burgaard continues. “But as a powder product, potato protein did not add any functional properties. Now, with our new texturing technique, potato protein can add meat-like structure to products, and is therefore ideal to use in meat supplements.”

The development of the potato protein is a part of KMCs innovation program, in which the company creates plant-based ingredients that can replace animal-based ingredients in food. KMC is able to produce the potato protein at a large scale and will be able to produce 300 tons of textured protein in 2022. KMC expects to scale up production significantly the coming years.

Green Danish Protein

Potato protein is especially relevant as a meat replacement, as it contains all the essential amino acids. Furthermore, the combination of amino acids present is very well-balanced, which puts the nutritional value of the protein near the same level as meat.  

“Sustainability and business go hand in hand at KMC,” says Burgarrd. “With our new product, we can offer a climate-friendly protein produced by Danish potato farmers to consumers across the globe. We strongly believe that textured potato protein will play a crucial part in the development of new plant-based solutions to the consumers of the world.”

KMC replaced 26,600 metric tons of animal ingredients in 2020-21, an increase of 13% compared to the previous year. KMC aims to replace 39.000 tons of animal ingredients with plant-based ingredients in the 2024-25financial season.

Facts

• Texturization of vegetable protein is a process used for adding structure to plant-based proteins, and is already used for plant-based meat products.
• Potato has the lowest carbon footprint of all vegetables.
• Textured potato protein excels by retaining a structure which is remarkably meat-like and can retain a meat-like frying crust.
• Potato protein has a high nutritional value and holds all the essential amino acids which is shown in a DIAAS score of 115 and a PDCAAS score of 0,93.
• Texturized potato protein has a mild flavour that is easily masked by other ingredients.

Learn more at www.kmc.dk.