Hydrosol has developed a new range of stabilising and texturising systems designed to support the production of protein-rich, reduced-fat and hybrid meat snacks, as manufacturers look to respond to growing demand for convenient mini meals and nutritionally differentiated snack formats.
The ingredients specialist says meat snacks are among the fastest-growing snack subcategories globally, driven in part by changing eating habits and increasing interest in high-protein products.
According to Hydrosol, the trend is particularly pronounced among younger consumers, with more than half of Millennials and Gen Z choosing snacks at least four times a week. Against this backdrop, the company has developed a number of systems intended to help manufacturers create products including chicken jerky, crispy meat chips and hybrid meat-and-vegetable snacks.
Supporting Protein-Rich Snack Formats
A key part of Hydrosol’s latest offering is a system from its Naturom range, which enables manufacturers to produce protein-rich meat snacks without the use of phosphates.
The system can be applied to declaration-friendly chicken jerky as well as crispy chips made from different types of meat. Hydrosol says the technology is designed to help producers address demand for high-protein products while also supporting cleaner-label positioning.
When combined with a system from the company’s PLUSstabil range, manufacturers can also create reduced-fat meat chips with improved texture.
Hydrosol says the resulting products can combine nutritional benefits with a pronounced crunch and strong flavour profiles, including options such as smoky paprika.
For snack manufacturers, the combination of stabilising and texturising technologies is intended to provide greater control over eating quality while allowing products to be reformulated around specific nutritional or labelling objectives.
The company sees this as increasingly important as snack products move beyond traditional indulgence and are used more frequently as convenient meal replacements or mini meals.
Expanding Into Hybrid Snacks
Hydrosol is also targeting the growing hybrid category with a stabilising system from its HydroTOP VE CL range.
Based on plant proteins and fibre, the system enables manufacturers to combine meat and vegetables within the same snack product while supporting protein-rich formulations with reduced fat and lower levels of saturated fatty acids.
Potential applications include vegetable-enriched ground meat products, snack sticks and what Hydrosol describes as chicken-and-cauliflower popcorn.
The system is also suitable for cleaner-label concepts and can support products where plant protein and fibre content are intended to form part of the consumer proposition.
Hydrosol says manufacturers can further adapt these formulations by incorporating micronutrient premixes from sister company SternVitamin. This creates opportunities for products fortified with nutrients including B vitamins, zinc and iron.
