DuPont drives planet forward solutions for plant-based food and beverages

Danisco Planit marks the latest evolution in DuPont’s plant-based ingredient portfolio – a comprehensive range of functional ingredients and application expertise for food and beverages made with a ‘planet forward,’ sustainable approach. With the new Danisco Planit range, DuPont Nutrition and Biosciences (DuPont) offers food and beverage manufacturers the broadest selection of ingredients for plant-based product development in the industry, supported by expert application knowledge and insights to design products for the future. Customers leveraging DuPont’s innovation capabilities in the plant-based segment will be ahead of the curve in managing their global footprint.

“We named this new brand Danisco Planit as an acknowledgement that when scaling up this industry it must happen in a sustainable way,” explains Birgitte Borch, vice president of Marketing, Food and Beverage, DuPont Nutrition and Biosciences.

DuPont has decades of experience in the plant-based sector, providing support in every step from conceptualization to successful commercialization of innovative, yet locally relevant solutions and recipes that are ready to take to market.

“The depth of what we can offer our customers is unique in the industry,” Borch said. “Danisco Planit is a significant launch for us. We offer a total ingredient solution with the ability to deliver taste, texture, nutrition and sustainability. And, we believe in co-creation and look forward to innovating new formats and categories with our customers to widen the food space and create great eating experiences for the growing group of global consumers that want to increase their plant-based consumption.”

Capturing mainstream consumers

For the past couple of years, the plant-based space has been a race to get on the shelves for both food service and retailers. Now it’s about staying there and growing further by offering a greater variety of categories.

“The market innovation for products that allow consumers to eat a burger without eating meat, drink a milkshake without drinking milk, have been impressive,” Borch said. “For the mass market consumer however, we want to do more. Mainstream consumers are not only looking to avoid meat or dairy, they are looking for a great eating experience. In order to take plant-based mainstream, we need to expand innovation beyond imitation. We want to support the shift to a more plant-based diet by creating multiple options, thereby enabling nutritious, plant-based food and beverages in every meal, every day—from early-bird breakfast to the midnight snack.”

Borch sees plant-based as an opportunity for the industry to meet consumers’ changing eating habits. “We believe co-creation is the route to shape the market and capture fast-evolving consumer needs for every eating occasion,” Borch said. “We want to create sustainable consumer loyalty, ensuring that plant-based products are loved and tasty enough to become a regular part of consumers’ diets, not just a ‘try it once’.”

Plant-in-it is key

In plant-based products, as in all food categories, taste and texture are imperative. However, in plant-based there are a variety of protein sources, and when combined with consumer requirements for health and nutrition, designing and formulating new formats that are top-performing in all sensory dimensions is a challenge. A great tasting product isn’t just about flavor, but the interactivity among sight, smell, touch and sound. Sensory expertise is at the center of new product development for plant-based food and beverages.

“We can turn our insights into business opportunities and forge a new product development pipeline with formulation strategies that maximize consumer liking and meet the requirements on nutrition and ingredient lists,” said Sonia Huppert, global marketing head for Plant-based Health. “We keep a constant focus on developing ingredient solutions for new products, and for plant-based food and beverages in particular, to offer to the plant-based industry innovative solutions for plant-based yogurt, ice cream, drink, and meat alternatives, including full meal solutions.”

Danisco Planit has been launched globally and covers services, expertise, and an unmatched ingredient portfolio for plant-based food and beverages: plant proteins, hydrocolloids, cultures, probiotics, fibers, food protection, antioxidants, natural extracts, emulsifiers, and enzymes, as well as tailor-made systems.