You need to know how to tackle emerging risks in plant based and better drive your process - From EDQC 2024
The presentation of Marjon Wells-Bennik focused on addressing the unique challenges and opportunities in the rapidly growing plant-based food industry. It provided insights into consumer expectations, R&D priorities, and risk management strategies to improve product quality and safety.
Key Points Addressed:
Consumer Expectations & Market Trends:
- Rapid growth in demand for plant-based alternatives driven by expectations for nutrition, taste, texture, and ethical considerations.
Ingredient Diversity & Microbial Risks:
- Increasing use of diverse ingredients (e.g., flours, isolates, syrups) introduces new microbial hazards and spoilage risks without established guidelines or predictive models.
R&D Challenges:
- Short product life cycles push focus on formulation, processes, and sensory attributes while balancing safety and quality.
Risk Management Strategies:
- Implement tailored risk assessments, develop microbial safety standards, and improve control measures to mitigate emerging risks in plant-based products.
Addressing emerging risks in plant-based products requires a proactive and scientific approach to risk assessment and control. By focusing on ingredient diversity, microbial safety, and consumer expectations, businesses can enhance the quality, safety, and success of their plant-based offerings.
What to remember?
- Plant-based UHT Drinks: Variable levels & types spores in ingredients. Heat treatment (including proper hydration) crucial for sterility. Rapid growth when heat treatment fails to inactivate all spores or in case of post process contamination. Inactivation models and growth models in plant-based drinks can help in designing processes
- Plant-based Yogurts: Variable levels & types spores in ingredients incl. pathogens. Not killed by pasteurization, final pH <4.5 but temperature and pH during fermentation high. Overgrowth by spore formers if fermentation too slow, including risk of toxin production. Growth models including the effect of temperature, pH and lactate allow for proper fermentation set-up
- Plant-based Cheeses: Variable levels & types in ingredients incl. pathogens. Not killed by pasteurization. Surviving spores and outgrowth (incl. Clostridium) during shelf life. Outgrowth post processing contaminants e.g. Listeria monocytogenes, moulds during shelf life. Growth models for complex matrices need to be further developed
