Today, many consumers choose plant-based alternatives instead of meat due to health and sustainability reasons. On the shelves at our local stores, we find many different protein options made from peas, mushrooms, beans, and soya. The demand for plant-based products keeps increasing, and so does the segment in the food industry.
But even though there are many products on the market, not all of them taste delicious. When making a successful product, you must consider many aspects, taste, flavor, and texture being three of the most important. At JBT, we have years of experience in this field and have developed several solutions to process healthier plant-based products without sacrificing taste. With the Healthier Cooking range of solutions, JBT provides a new alternative to traditional cooking methods, enabling producers to take advantage of growing consumer interest in healthier lifestyles and eating habits – including the growing market for plant-based foods and meat alternatives. The range includes the Dry-Fry System, Formcook Contact Cooker, and Formcook Combi Cooker.
Complete solution in the Dry Fry System
The Dry-Fry System is a unique, innovative, and healthier way of frying that keeps the great taste while shedding the unwanted side effects of deep-frying. Designed to process a wide range of healthier food options while maintaining a ‘just fried’ taste and appearance, the Dry-Fry uses up to 50% less oil to cook breaded products, as well as meatballs, plant-based and vegetarian foods. Dry-frying controls fat levels and allows fat or oils not suitable for deep-frying, like margarine or olive oil. It gives complete control of oil absorption on breaded products and creates an appealing finish on uncoated products, similar to deep-fried products. The result is a healthier product that both looks and taste better.
Taste advantages in the Formcook Cooker range
Another key element of JBT’s Healthy Cooking solution is the Formcook range of cookers, allowing processors to prepare food without adding fat, thanks to JBT’s in-line and non-stick cooking technologies.
The Formcook Contact Cooker and Formcook Combi Cooker use combined conduction and convection heat transfer to cook products that continuously move through the ovens on Teflon belts, delivering a wonderfully browned finish. As well as producing a stove-prepared appearance and a superior taste, contact-cooking eliminates the ‘fatty’ deep-frying process, helping promote a healthy eating image to the consumer.
The Formcook range – as well as Stein and Double D solutions – are equally effective when preparing plant-based foods, allowing producers to take full advantage of one of the most crucial emerging consumption trends of the past decade. In fact, contact-cooking a plant-based product before it goes in the oven helps quickly develop surface colors and flavors by sealing surface marinades to produce a more attractive visual appearance while still cooking it optimally.
A proficient partner
Growing your business and developing new plant-based products usually means plenty of work. Besides finding the right equipment, you also need to think about your new product line’s capacity and set up. To manage your transition as smoothly as possible, a proficient partner could be convenient. JBT is a leading global full-solution provider within food processing, offering a broad portfolio of products and solutions. Except for excellent machinery and equipment, our team of food experts can help you develop and optimize your production to reduce waste, cost, and downtime.
Do you want to know more about how to optimize your production line? Read more about the topic in another blog post.
Need help transitioning into plant-based?
Changing from meat to plant-based requires several changes in your production line and equipment. JBTs team is happy to help you with your transition and guide you on your journey towards more sustainable food. Book a technical meeting today!
5-step-guide: How to succeed with your plant-based product
- Insights into critical factors for succeeding
- Vital questions that you need to address
- A suggested roadmap from start to finish
Need help to transition into plant-based?
JBT is a leading global full-solution provider within food processing, offering a broad portfolio of products and solutions. We have a long experience in plant-based protein processing and production, and our food experts are standing by to help you with your transition and guide you on your journey towards successfully growing your business.