Planteneers

Rebecca Bohlmann. © Planteneers

Manufacturing & Technology

Planteneers: How Manufacturers Can Meet the Demand for Affordable Plant-Based Foods

Planteneers, a leading German developer and provider of customized plant-based products, has outlined how manufacturers can meet the growing demand for high-quality and affordable plant-based foods. With the help of a system called fiildMeat S 111404, Planteneers produces cold-cut alternatives like lyoner, fleischwurst, and salami using functional plant proteins combined with hydrocolloids. The system has been developed to make plant-based foods as accessible and affordable as possible with no compromise on taste or texture. To cut costs, Planteneers worked out that modified starch could be excluded from formulations if a “clever combination of other hydrocolloids” was used instead. The optimal choice and quantity of hydrocolloids also helps the products slice cleanly on large high-speed slicers. Meeting consumer expectations The correct choice of proteins is also …

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Plant-based meatballs

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Manufacturing & Technology

Planteneers Unveils Manufacturing Solutions for Mycoprotein-Based Meat Alternatives

Germany’s Planteneers, a leading developer and provider of customized plant-based products, has unveiled a range of meat alternatives featuring mycoprotein. The products were developed with the company’s functional systems for plant-based meat — fiildMeat P and fiildMeat S — which can integrate mycoproteins to create products that combine “authentic enjoyment,” health, and sustainable production. Mycoproteins are notable for their meat-like texture and nutritional profile, offering essential amino acids, valuable fiber, and low fat content. With the vegan food market projected to reach $40.53 billion by 2031 and consumers demanding minimally processed products, Planteneers offers manufacturers a solution for these trends. “With its meat-like structure, mycoprotein not only brings functional advantages but also has an ideal nutrient profile. Mycoprotein has all the essential amino acids, valuable …

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microbial protein Formo cheese gratin

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Charity & Campaigns

World Vegan Day: Celebrating 80 Years of Veganism with a Spotlight on Plant-Based Cheese Innovations

The Vegan Society, the world’s oldest vegan charity, is celebrating its 80th anniversary today, marking World Vegan Day. The society was founded in 1944 by Donald Watson and five other non-dairy vegetarians, who sought to create a movement distinct from vegetarianism and coined the term “vegan.” Over the past 80 years, the vegan movement has grown significantly, with veganism now recognized as a protected philosophical belief in the UK. Vegan options are available in supermarkets, restaurants, fashion, and cosmetics in Europe and North America, and the offer is slowly increasing in other continents. To celebrate its 80th anniversary, the charity is launching a virtual reality campaign, “The Future is Vegan.” The campaign features an AI-created avatar of co-founder Donald Watson, guiding users through a virtual world to …

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Planteneers chicken breast

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Company News

Planteneers to Showcase Cost-Optimised, Clean-Label Innovations at PBWE and FiE Shows

The upcoming autumn trade fairs PBWE in London and FiE in Frankfurt are marked by three main themes at Planteneers: cost optimisation, clean-label innovations, and enjoyment. As an example of cost-optimised solutions, the plant-based experts present a functional system that can develop a wide range of whole cuts such as plant alternatives to Lyon, meat sausage, and salami. Authentic taste experiences with the shortest possible list of ingredients are on the path to growth, says Planteneers. More and more consumers are paying attention to clean-label products in plant-based foods. For this focus area, Planteneers presents wheat protein-based solutions that offer a high protein content and exceptional functionality, described as particularly effective in replicating the compact texture required for salami and other cured meat alternatives. Another …

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Planteneers salami pizza

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Company News

Planteneers Develops Buffet of 100% Plant-Based Italian Cuisine, Samplers Say “This is How the Future Will Taste”

After developing — all in the past few months — technology for marbled and fat-layered meat alternatives; a wide range of plant-based fermented dairy products; and solutions for plant-based desserts such as tiramisu and cheesecake; Germany’s Planteneers announces that it has created an entirely plant-based Italian buffet through its development platform. Part of the Stern-Wywiol Gruppe, Planteneers formulates high-quality, functional ingredients and compounds designed to mimic the taste, texture, and cooking properties of traditional animal-based products. Together with the Marriot Hotel kitchen team, Planteneers prepared an entirely plant-based Italian buffet for approximately 1450 trade show attendees, with plant-based Caesar salad, focaccia, pizza pieces, whitefish filet in tomato sauce, and plant-based tiramisu. The future tastes like this “The response was overwhelming. The idea of presenting our …

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Germany's Planteneers has introduced a range of plant-based desserts — pudding, fermented oat dessert, tiramisu, cheesecake, and soft ice cream.

Image courtesy of Planteneers

Milk- and Dairy Alternatives

​​Planteneers Unveils Indulgent Desserts Including Vegan Cheesecake, Tiramisu & Fermented Oat Dessert

Germany’s Planteneers, a leading developer and provider of customized plant-based products, has introduced a range of plant-based desserts —  tiramisu and cheesecake, fermented oat dessert,  pudding, and soft ice cream — catering to the growing demand for “healthy but indulgent” alternatives to dairy-based products. According to Linda Eitelberger, Product Manager at Plantenneers, “More and more customers want products that focus more on enjoyment, in addition to health aspects.” Tiramisu and cheesecake Planteneers has introduced an advanced solution for creating plant-based mascarpone: a blend of starch, plant proteins, plant fibers, pectin, and emulsifiers transformed into a smooth, rich base with water and fats. The plant-based mascarpone is said to have a neutral taste and rich mouthfeel. Planteneers says it can be marketed as a standalone product …

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A plant-based steak with marbled fat

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Meat- and Fish Alternatives

The Latest in Plant-Based Steaks and Why They’re So Crucial Right Now

The consumer behaviour of those (vegans and omnivores alike) who purchase plant-based products has evolved significantly from the curiosity-led impulse buys before the 2023 dip — amid an influx of new, sometimes inferior products on the market — to repeat purchases of quality, evolved products which fit into the day-to-day routine and are now tried and tested by families and cooked at home in their favourite ways. Last week, the UK’s biggest supermarket chain Tesco reported that the plant-based revolution is entering a second phase, largely driven by more consumers cooking from scratch. The retailer noted that despite the drop in sales last year, sales of meat-free ingredients and whole cuts are now increasing, with plant-based steaks and chicken breasts witnessing a 20% sales uptick …

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Planteneers introduces a range of plant-based fermented dairy

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Milk- and Dairy Alternatives

Plant-Based Fermented Dairy: Planteneers Introduces Yogurt, Quark, Cream Cheese, Ayran, and More

Planteneers, a leading developer and provider of customized plant-based products and solutions, has introduced a range of plant-based fermented dairy, including yogurt, quark, cream cheese, crème fraîche, and ayran (Turkish yogurt drink). According to the company, these fermented vegan products have been specifically formulated to replicate the authentic taste, texture, and mouthfeel of traditional dairy products using the company’s unique functional ingredients systems. Planteneers solutions for plant-based dairy are flexible and can be easily adapted and customized to accommodate the specific preferences of manufacturers or brands looking to offer products that cater to consumer demand. This introduction follows the launch of the plant-based steak 2.0., a manufacturing innovation to create marbled and fat-layered alternatives to meat; and a range of pea-based high moisture extrudates (HME) …

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A plant-based steak with marbled fat

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Manufacturing & Technology

Plant-Based Steak 2.0: Planteneers & Handtmann Unveil Manufacturing Innovation for Marbling and Fat-Layering

Plant-based food pioneer Planteneers and global leader in food processing technology, Handtmann, are joining forces to revolutionize the market with a manufacturing innovation to create marbled and fat-layered alternatives to meat: the plant-based steak 2.0.  To address the need for more realistic plant-based meat alternatives, the collaboration involves integrating Planteneers’ functional systems and Handtmann’s equipment to create alternatives that mimic the appearance of traditional meat and have an “authentic, fibrous structure.”  Advantages over other processes By combining a newly developed attachment for Handtmann’s filling and portioning systems with Planteneers’ fiildMeat and fiildTex series, manufacturers can achieve the desired fat ratio and adjust the size and shape of the final products to meet customer preferences. In addition, this flexible coextrusion system in production also enables a more realistic asymmetrical fat marbling. …

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Dr. Dorotea Pein of Planteneers

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Interviews

Planteneers: “With Us, Companies Don’t Need to Invest in Expensive R&D to Bring Plant-Based Alternatives to Market”

Planteneers specializes in the development and production of plant-based food alternatives and is part of the Stern-Wywiol Gruppe. The company’s expertise lies in the formulation of high-quality, functional ingredients and compounds that are tailored to mimic the taste, texture, and cooking properties of traditional animal-based products. ​​​After a successful 2023 during which Planteneers won the World Plant-Based Innovation Awards 2023 in the technology category for the Plantbaser and expanded into the USA with a new office in Aurora, Illinois, we spoke with Dr. Dorotea Pein, Director Technology, on thoughts for the year ahead not just for the company but for the alternative food space in general – “cultured meat and proteins from fermentation will become more important,” predicts Dr Pein. Can you tell us what …

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HME made chicken chunks

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Ingredients

Planteneers Introduces Pea-Based High Moisture Extrudates for Meaty Alternatives

Planteneers has developed a range of pea-based high moisture extrudates (HME) for plant-based meat that is said to deliver an “authentically” meat-like structure. Branded fiildTex, the range offers various sizes and shapes, including chunks or kebabs. They are described as allergens-free, clean-label, and high in protein, offering 30g per 100g and a NutriScore A. Moreover, they can be used in fish alternatives or as components of ready meals, making them suitable for retail and food service. They are flash frozen (IQF-frozen), allowing 12 months of storage at -18°C. At this year’s Plant Based World Expo in London and at Fi Europe’s latest fair in Frankfurt, the German food tech firm showcased the new HME in a plant-based kebab dish to demonstrate the capabilities of the …

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Company News

Planteneers’ Plantbaser Wins Technology Innovation Award at PBWE New York

With the Planteneers Plantbaser, companies can implement new ideas for new alternative products in the shortest possible time. It only takes two weeks from the idea to the finished product. Users can put together their desired product within 15 to 20 minutes. Dedicated plant-based know-how is not necessary, and the test samples are available two weeks later. “Two and a half years of intensive work have paid off: it’s a great feeling to be rewarded in this way,” says Florian Bark, Plantbaser product manager. “Our digital product configurator Plantbaser also amazed visitors at the Plant Based World Expo in New York.” “I’ve never seen anything like that” With around 1,300 recipes, Plantbaser offers the world’s largest selection of plant-based products from all categories – from …

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Planteneers fried sausage on fork

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Fairs & Events

Plant-Based Bavarian Veal Sausage, Nuremberg Bratwurst & Liver Loaf Available for Oktoberfest 2023

Last year’s Oktoberfest, a traditionally extremely meat-centric beer festival, saw an increased shift towards plant-based offerings, with chef Sebastian Copien hired to develop vegan options, a partnership between the festival and German alt-meat brand GREENFORCE to offer a vegan Weißwurst (white sausage) for the first time, as well as Redefine Meat presenting its new Redefine New-Meat™ Bratwurst. The first announcement in the plant-based space for this year’s festival comes from Planteneers, which reveals its capabilities to offer caterers favorites like Bavarian veal sausage, Thuringer, and Nuremberg bratwurst, and an entirely plant-based liver loaf. “Our fiild-Meat flexible stabilizing system is based on pea and fava bean protein, hydrocolloids, and starch,” explains Dr. Pia Meinlschmidt, Team Leader Product Management at Planteneers. “It lets manufacturers use conventional processing …

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Planteneers team in the USA

Planteneers' North America team - Image courtesy of Plantenners

Company News

Planteneers Expands into US Market with New Office and Customer Center in Aurora, lllinois

German food tech company Planteneers announces it has opened a new office in Aurora, Illinois, USA, in response to the increasing demand for plant-based products in the region. Additionally, the company announces that it has begun construction on a new Customer Excellence Center, also located in Aurora, set to open next summer. The center will be a dedicated space for addressing customer-specific requirements in the US market. Strategic sales leader Gretchen Moon will join the company as VP of commercial operations for North America and will lead the new team focusing on sales, distribution, marketing, and product development, says Planteneers. “At our new location with production, R&D, and the upcoming Customer Center, we can address customer-specific requirements for the US market even better,” comments Moon. Innovations with …

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Plantbaser digital product configurator

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Manufacturing & Technology

Digital Product Configurator Plantbaser Can Develop Plant-Based Cheeses in 20 Minutes

Planteneers has announced that the plant-based cheese category of its digital product configurator, the Plantbaser, is now complete. Manufacturers can use the tool to configure a variety of soft and hard cheese alternatives, including feta, pizza cheese, cheddar, parmesan, gouda, and more. For hard cheeses, block, grated, and sliced formats are available. After choosing a variety of cheese and specifying the production equipment, manufacturers can adjust the texture, color, and flavor intensity of the product as desired. Certain ingredients — such as common allergens — can be excluded, and either conventional dairy cheese or a plant-based alternative can be used as a benchmark. In total, a product can be put together using the configurator in 15 to 20 minutes, with no plant-based knowledge required. Test …

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Plantbaser_Cube

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Company News

Planteneers and Hydrosol Advice: Embrace Tech to Overcome Future Food Challenges

With consolidated revenues of 764 million euros last year, the Hamburg Stern-Wywiol Gruppe, a global leader in the food and feed ingredients industry, again enjoyed double-digit growth. The growth drivers in the group are its Planteneers and Hydrosol subsidiaries, said the group in a statement.  Planteneers develops and produces custom system solutions for plant-based alternatives to meat, sausage, and fish products, as well as cheese, dairy products, and deli foods. Hydrosol specialises in stabilising and texturing systems for animal foods. Factors for success Key factors for the success of the companies are intense research, the development of innovative technologies, and closeness to customers and markets, says the group. “Our innovations are precisely tuned to individual customer requirements,” commented Dr. Matthias Moser, MD of the Food Ingredients …

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Dr. Dorotea Pein, Planteneers

Dr. Dorotea Pein, Planteneers

Interviews

Planteneers: “In the Area of Plant-Based Alternatives, Products Are Always Evolving”

Founded in September 2020, Planteneers GmbH, a sister company of Hydrosol and part of the Stern-Wywiol Gruppe, specialises in customised functional and texturisation systems for plant-based alternative products. Planteneers’ expertise covers a range of applications, developing raw materials and textures for plant-based meat, dairy and deli alternatives for manufacturers in the food industry worldwide. In this year in review, Dr Dorotea Pein, Head of Product Management at Planteneers, tells us about the highlights and challenges of 2022 and gives an outlook for the coming year. What innovations were launched in 2022? The year was characterized by the high interest of manufacturers in our fish alternatives and the new products that came onto the market. Fish alternatives are a segment that is particularly suitable for replacement …

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Company News

Planteneers at the Plant Based World Expo in New York

One focus of Planteneers in New York is the product configurator Plantbaser from Planteneers, which can be used to shorten the development time of new products to up to a few weeks. In addition to colleagues from the USA team, Dorotea Pein, Head of Product Management, and Christoph Kowollik, Digital Transformation Manager, from the Hamburg headquarters in New York will be available for discussions. Planteneers GmbH, headquartered in Ahrensburg, develops and produces individual system solutions for plant-based alternatives to meat, sausage and fish products, as well as cheese, dairy products and deli foods. As a member of the independent, owner-operated Stern-Wywiol Gruppe with a total of twelve sister companies, Planteneers makes use of many synergies. The company has access to the knowledge of some 100 …

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Fairs & Events

Germany’s Fish International 2022 Presents Cultivated and 3D Solutions For Fish Industry

The Fish International 2022 trade fair in Bremen (4-6 September) is to incorporate alternative proteins and cultivated solutions for application in seafood into this year’s programme, dedicating the second day of the trade fair event to the topic. Fish International is the sole trade show for fish and seafood in Germany. The trade fair provides information on new products entering the market as well as a review of recent innovations and advancements in alt-seafood. Speeches at Fish International 2022 After adding plant-based alternatives to fish and seafood to its portfolio in 2021, Planteneers has established itself as a provider of manufacturing solutions suitable for fish producers and companies specialising in making plant-based alternatives. At the Fish International 2022, Product Manager of Planteneers, Florian Bark, will …

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planteneers-gets-meat-manufacturers-on-board

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Company News

Planteneers Reveals Strategy to Work With Meat Industry For Increased Hybrid Products

Planteneers reveals plans to deal with the ongoing trend for plant-based alternatives and avoid a cannibalization effect. By getting the meat industry on board to create hybrid products containing less meat, a more ethical revenue stream is established for manufacturers, it says. Hybrid products offer a perfect compromise, according to the German producer, offering great opportunities for flexitarians and consumers who are looking to reduce their meat intake step by step. In response, Planteneers has created novel stabilizing methods for this category that are able to cut the animal content in the finished product in half. “The meat industry is reinventing itself. We need to meet consumer expectations in modern plant-based nutrition, while avoiding a cannibalization effect,” explains Planteneers Product Manager Florian Bark. “Walking this …

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