Hybrid Products from animal and plant sources (MeatHybrid)

Aim of the project:

Since 1988, the use of plant proteins in meat products has been permitted through an EU-guideline. To this day, however, only few products are available on the market. Small and medium scale enterprises are reluctant to invest in research and development since it is not clear how consumers will react to hybrid meat product offerings. There is insufficient information on potential acceptance rates and product preferences. Producers lack know- ledge about the ideal concentration of plant proteins in the formulation of hybrid products, the correct procedure of adding plant proteins to form “hybrid batters”, and methods to convert them to sliceable or spreadable products. However, so far, attempts of adding plant proteins to meat products have largely failed. This is because (a) incompatible proteins have been used, (b) proteins have been added “unstructured”, i.e. as powders to minced meat and (c) products have had inacceptable sensory performances. The overall objective of the project is to devel- op knowledge that enables the production of hybrid products that will be successful in the market and meet consumers’ needs and wants with respect to sustainability, taste and health. The central hypothesis of this research project is that there are formulation and process conditions under which hybrid products can be developed that meet consumer expectations and deliver high value in terms of sustainability, health and organoleptic properties. 

Economic impact:

In 2015, food producing companies (310.000) in Europe employed 4.8 million people, 14 % of the total manufacturing sector, making the food industry the second largest industrial sector with a turnover of 917 billion €. Most producers are SMEs and only a few are able to compete on the global market. The turnover in Germany is 175.2 billion € (of these, 53.6 billion € account for exports) which makes the food industry the fourth largest industry in Germany. The meat industry represents the largest sector within the food industry in Ger- many, with a percent revenue share of 23.2 % and a turnover of 41 billion €. The food indus- try in Germany employs more than 550.000 people of which about 110.000 work in the meat industry. The results of this interdisciplining project give SMEs the chance to produce new hybrid products for the national and international markets. 

Further informations:

German Institute of Food Technologies (DIL) Dr. Volker Heinz/Dr. Nino Terjung Prof.-von-Klitzing-Str. 7
D-49610 Quakenbrueck/Germany / Phone: +49 5431 183-228 Fax: +49 5431 183-200 E-Mail: info@dil-ev.de

University of Hohenheim, Institute of Food Science and Biotechnology, Department of Food Physics and Meat Science
Prof. Dr. Jochen Weiss/Dr. Monika Gibis Garbenstr. 25, D-70599 Stuttgart/Germany Phone: +49 711 459 24415 / Fax: +49 711 459 24446 Email: j.weiss@uni-hohenheim.de

Research Association of the German Food Industry GFPi/FEI EU-Office
Dr. Jan Jacobi / 47-51, Rue du Luxembourg, B-1050 Brussels/Belgium / Phone: +32 2 2820840 Fax: +32 2 2820841 E-Mail: gfpi-fei@bdp-online.de 

This CORNET project ("Collective Research Network") is a transnational collaborative research project with two participating countries under the coordination of the FEI. The idea of CORNET is to bring together national funding and research institutions in a transnational project and to cre- ate synergies across national borders. The German part of the CORNET project is funded under the program to promote Industrial Collective Research (IGF) from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (via AiF) through the Research Association of the German Food Industry (FEI).