Special Episode - Silvia Soragni - LALLEMAND

[00:00:02][Music] Okay, Sylvia, it's a real pleasure to be sitting down with you today as category manager for savory ingredients at Lamand. You've been right in the middle of some fascinating developments in yeast-based proteins. Um, I'd love to start by hearing a bit about your journey. How did you first get involved with savory ingredients at Lamand and what drew you to this area of food innovation?

[00:00:27]So I've started in LA Mambio ingredient savory in 2017 as a product and marketing manager and the position has developed till uh this year uh where I started to be category manager which means still to have like a good understanding of uh our product portfolio. I am still responsible for our marketing activities but there is uh one point plus that is strategy which is very important uh for uh our business.

[00:01:00]Uh I come from an history of uh sales uh of food ingredients uh from a local environment. I'm still based in Italy uh to a more European and now global scope.

[00:01:15]Now that sets the scene um very nicely.

[00:01:17]For those who may not be familiar with LaMan's work, could you give us a a quick elevator pitch? What's the bigger mission behind the savory ingredients division?

[00:01:26]>> So I think we should frame savor ingredient in the wider scope of uh who is LMAN. LMAN is a privatelyowned Canadian company. Uh we have a huge focus on fermentation on yeast and bacteria. Uh Lalman bio ingredients is one of the business unit of Lalman and uh still we focus on fermentation. Uh we have a clear um interaction and we aim to develop together with our customers uh in in the food uh flavor health ingredient area. Um we are growing our business into new areas uh in the specifically enzymes or aroma ingredients which are the least latest acquisition. Uh but it's everything around fermented ingredients and yeast in particular.

[00:02:21]>> Well, there's a there's a lot of buzz in recent years about yeast based proteins.

[00:02:25]Um I think a lot of people know the name and I'm going to try and pronounce it properly. Cicardo my cedisi but that might not be right. Um but not many people appreciate how versatile it is.

[00:02:35]Can you walk us through what makes it such a valuable base for protein innovation?

[00:02:40]>> Yeah, I would say uh I would start from this like sarcvisia is one of the most known ingredients in the history of uh the culinary art or the food uh area before being an industry being artisanal. Uh everybody know about yeast. Uh from bread, wine, beer production, yeast is very much involved uh in different uh food and drinks category. Uh sacroisa cervisia is just one of the edible yeast that are currently used uh by the industry, but for sure a very interesting one. Yeast by itself is a single um cell uh organism. It's a kind of mini firm uh that can produce very much different uh uh components. Yeast is very rich in protein naturally. Uh it's rich in vitamins and minerals and of course when active uh can uh build uh food and drinks by fermentation.

[00:03:47]uh also the inactive yeast keeps this interesting composition and by let's say uh concentrating and separating uh yeast protein we have now a very valuable source which is very uh known by the consumer. This is this is for sure a a huge plus uh but also not so explored going forward we uh expect to get more from uh from yeast protein. One very interesting point is that yeast protein can be nutritional and can be functional. It depends on the way the process is conducted and and the protein are produced.

[00:04:30]>> Well, that's um >> which makes a big >> Oh, sorry. I I over overlapped.

[00:04:35]>> Oh, sorry. I was going to say let's turn to the star of the show now. That's high pro Beyond. That's the product that you're turning that yeast into. Um, one of the things that really caught my attention is that it's described as a nonfunctional protein. It boosts nutritional value without altering taste or texture. Why is that such a big deal for formulators, especially in savory applications?

[00:04:57]>> So, we have uh several protein now available in the market and I would say that the yeast protein are still a niche. If we look at the large volumes of uh dairy protein uh animal source protein and as well as alternative protein we have the the key products like soy, pea and and wheat uh gluten.

[00:05:22]Um the fact of being like for NJ type or beyond a a protein that is mainly nutritional can support the development of different type of uh food matrixes without interfering uh with the realology of the products. Like nowadays when we fine-tune a matrix, a product, we would like it to be uh repeatable and the the food um developers would like to make sure uh that everything they include in a complex matrix would give a certain result. By using a product that is mainly nutritional, we don't interfere with the hydrocoloid or other stabilizing systems. And in this way, our yeast protein stands out of uh other protein sources.

[00:06:14]>> Clean taste that seems to be a real differentiator. I mean, you mentioned pee and soy. They often come with um sometimes bitterness or beanie notes, but Hypro Beyond avoids those issues.

[00:06:24]What's happening on a sensory level that allows it to deliver such a neutral profile?

[00:06:30]So we have a patent pending for uh this production but I I have to say like yeast in general is already pretty neutral. We have gone really uh beyond uh with the results obtained with vita being so neutral allows to be uh allows IBON to be included in different type of application from sweet to savory and and sweet it's an area that is pretty new for us but uh giving us very nice uh results in uh high protein drink shots as an example in is next bars and and other type of sweet application. ation.

[00:07:09]Uh also uh we have an interest now quite racing and and a new in hybrid uh dairy product. So a kind of bridge uh from dairy product to alternative there is now a an increased interest for uh for the IRI that uh would guarantee better taste and for sure vitro beyond help uh in this kind of developments. Mhm. I was particularly fascinated by um a cheese analog example. It was a vegan parmesan.

[00:07:41]I think um that feels like a great c uh case study where flavor and function um overlap. Are you able to take us inside the the development process there? Were there any technical hurdles that you had to overcome?

[00:07:54]Yeah, we have a quite skilled team of um applied R&D specialists and when we developed the vegan parmesan in this uh sense we were in the alternative uh uh to dairy product so it's not an hybrid.

[00:08:11]Um but when we think about uh alternative uh cheeses like the first generation of product is well known for being rich in starch and and other stabilizers and poor in protein in a way. So uh the next step for the industry is to have product that are also nutritionally interesting. uh the problem of several protein sources is that they interact they interfere with the starch system which is still uh the the base for those ingredients. While we don't have the same with vitro beyond um the the formulators can really play with their uh stabilizing system on its own and include I probeyond for nutritional purposes and uh one of the subjects uh that was particularly difficult for our applied was to replicate the kind of firm uh granular texture of the parmesan-like cheese. uh but it this was really well achieved uh with with a separate stabilizing system but the as I said the NJ probion didn't interfere we didn't find uh gaps or uh missings from what we understood the stabilizing system was going to deliver >> I know in our preparation calls um you mentioned hyprobion performs well under um UHT and avoids unwanted mard reactions what does that mean in practice on the factory floor the production floor.

[00:09:44]>> This is very important because um we have a very nice wetability since the beginning. So if we add uh water in the system and Java Hypro Beyond disperse really rapidly. So we don't have lumps uh issues but also it's very stable at uh different pH levels and it's very stable under uh let's say difficult treatment like the UHT1 uh could be. So this is why I I I mentioned uh in our preparation call we had very good results in um uh protein shots ready to drink. Uh this is an area that we are developing pretty fast with our customers. Uh which give us very good feedback from the very beginning. So it's very easy to apply. So what does it mean for the industry? for sure to avoid a lot of issues in production. Clogging systems or lamps that can uh delay uh the production and then also a lounge acceptability at floor level in the industry like it doesn't create more issues than the uh let's say solution that it brings.

[00:10:57]and and from a nutrition science perspective um one feature that really stands out is the complete amino acid profile including branch chain amino acids. Why is that important compared to other protein sources?

[00:11:10]>> So we have uh certain amino acids can be produced uh by our body uh taking uh the building blocks from what we eat and those essays are the ones that we cannot produce ourselves. So they should be included by our diet and sometimes uh when we go in uh restrictive type of diets. Some amino acids can be lacking or um let's say duration between one and the other or the branched amino acids that are relevant for maintaining the muscle mass or or to repair our body are quite uh lacking. uh this is important together with the factor that the digestibility of anita probond and in general I have to say of yeast protein is high is one which is the maximum rate we can get uh when we look at digestibility of protein so it's higher than uh other type of alternative protein this is important to say >> yeah that's the pycast score um let's touch on something that often trips people up protein labeling um there's a lot of confusion about how protein content is calculated and not all sources are obviously measured equally.

[00:12:25]How do you ensure accuracy when it comes to hypro beyond?

[00:12:29]>> So it's it's inherent to the quality of the protein. I would say uh generally speaking the industry has taken the the kilal measure as standard and those come with a coefficient that is widely used the 6.25 25 uh to transform from the nitrogen available to the actual uh protein level content uh for yeast protein and njvita hypro beyond this is very close to 6.25 while uh we had uh we have other alternative protein where this coefficient is in reality lower uh but because of uh the standardization we have had with the kilan 6.25 25 we are overestimating the protein content of certain sources. This is not the case for iroyond. I think like we are at 6.24 versus 6.25. So it's pretty close uh to the kilal coefficient standard.

[00:13:27]>> Um another common um criticism of plant proteins is the presence of anti-nutritional factors like um phytic acid or lectins. what makes yeast based protein um cleaner or more digestible in that context?

[00:13:41]>> So, it's the fact that by nature yeast doesn't contain those antiutrutitional factors. So, it's it's the source itself that is better uh as a source of protein.

[00:13:53]>> And finally, um when we're talking about the products, we'll talk about safety.

[00:13:57]Crop-based proteins can be vulnerable to contaminants whereas bioreactor production offers much more control. Are you well able to able to elaborate on how that translates into food safety advantages?

[00:14:09]>> Yeah, of course. Uh when we speak about uh agricultural products and and produce, we we can always have risks of uh contamination by toxins uh by microorganisms um by other factors like heavy metals as an example that can come from the soil.

[00:14:30]uh producing yeast protein means producing yeast first of all like premium yeast uh in a um fermenttor which is uh highly controlled we control every uh input in the system the quality of water of course uh but also the pH and so forth. So um the environment is controlled. We have a safe output and we also can control differently from agricultural produce the level of protein to be stable uh year on year or depending of seasonality.

[00:15:06]>> Now beyond the the technical story there's also a sustainability angle. Um yeast protein seems to tick a lot of boxes. Low land use um circular economy substrates minimal environmental impact for instance. How are customers responding to those benefits?

[00:15:21]there is an increased interest and even if sustainability is not at the moment yet clearly a label. Uh we work with um um partners that are globally present and one of the um decision making uh box to tick when they introduce a new ingredient is to make sure uh sustainability is there. As you mentioned clearly uh we are working in a in an environment which is uh fully under control and uh we have a product that doesn't require a lot of land like we we grow yeast in in gross fermentors.

[00:16:02]Uh the water uh intake is controlled. Uh we are moving more and more into our facility uh into the use of uh green uh um energy. Uh so this is uh very important. We are working as well specifically for uh NJRO beyond uh to release uh the life cycle assessment for the single ingredient while we have uh those information generally speaking for inactive yeast and yeast extracts.

[00:16:33]>> We're also seeing a shift where it's not just being about an alternative protein but being a superior one in terms of functionality and sustainability. Where do you see Hypro Beyond fitting in the into the competitive landscape over the next I know 3 to 5 years or so?

[00:16:48]>> Yeah, I think um his protein and and JV Hyper beyond are responding to a lot of uh the demands that we see in the market for sure the need to differentiate more uh the protein environment nowadays is growing. uh we have a demand for more protein to be available to be more sustainable and uh even though at the moment the yeast protein if we look at the volumes uh of uh WPC or other alternative protein that I've mentioned before uh the soy pe uh the wheat gluten yeast protein is still smaller but the adoption rate is pretty quick uh we have very good response from our customers It it answers to different questions like uh the the nutritional profile is very high. It is sustainable. Uh it can be included in different type of applications. Uh so it's really helping uh food processors uh to move forward in answering the consumer demand for balanced uh protein sustainable nutrition.

[00:18:00]I was um interested to see high probium being positioned as suitable for both sweet and savory applications. That's not too common in the protein world.

[00:18:09]Have you seen any surprising or or unexpected use cases emerge from your customers?

[00:18:16]>> Generally speaking, we have a pretty high rate of positive response uh in in different type of application. um the one I mentioned earlier. So uh the ready to drink protein shots is an area that was pretty new for us. We were uh focusing uh in path and we our let's call it classic portfolio more to the savory uh part of the industry but nowadays we are moving into into the sweet and with very good feedbacks.

[00:18:47]Another area that is uh growing quite fast is the um nutrition dedicated or friendly to GLP1 users. So uh different companies are developing uh like small portion high protein type of meals uh to fit with this trend and and to fit with those uh changing requests by by the consumers that are uh in in weight management. So this kind of weight management is no longer niche.

[00:19:18]It's becoming uh like central part of of the food innovation and then JVI probond fits very well.

[00:19:26]>> Yeah. Every interview I do I hear about GP1. Um yeah, if I'm a developer working on a on a clean label product with ambitious protein goals, where does Hyprobond give me the the biggest edge compared to traditional options such as soy whi or P?

[00:19:42]So uh I think we should mention the fact that it's nonfunctional so can be included in in different type of simple or complex matrixes. Uh it can work very well with other protein sources as well.

[00:19:54]We had uh developed some uh alternative to chicken nuggets and and of course we use the traditional uh protein to create the network. So they um uh wheat gluten and and pea were used in this uh product but to achieve as an example uh the high protein content claim in Europe we went with vita probon. So this um ability to fit it in uh different type of uh uh complex matrixes, the the possibility to include uh different sources, the fact that it's very neutral in taste, order and color, it's really uh the game changer I would say.

[00:20:36]>> Mhm. Of course. Um regulatory acceptance that's always key. Hypro Beyond is already grass um in the USA, I understand, and it's recognized already as a food ingredient in the EU. Are there any particular nuances or customer concerns you often have to navigate when it when bringing um it into new markets?

[00:20:55]>> We have a very uh well trained and up-to-date regulatory team. So whenever customer have uh questions or need to have a specific insight for an area where we are developing but we are not yet so established in term of uh uh market presence uh we can always get back to our uh supporting team. Uh so we drive together with the customers into the nuances of the regulatory uh locally.

[00:21:23]>> And what about the feedback loop? What what kind of um insights are you hearing from formulators who already worked with it? Have they any of their experiences surprised you?

[00:21:35]>> I'm sorry. Can you repeat the question because it was a little bit disturbed?

[00:21:39]>> Okay. Um what about the feedback loop uh loop? What kind of insights are you hearing from formulators who have already worked with the ingredient? Have have any of their experiences surprised you?

[00:21:50]>> Um, I think what is surprising versus other type of ingredients that we have launched on the market is the the speed of introduction. So from lab trials to scaling up to industrial production, this is going very quick. M >> which is a very good sign.

[00:22:13]>> Definitely. Yeah. Well, it's been a great conversation. To close us out looking ahead, what excites you most about the role yeast proteins will play in shaping the future of food innovation?

[00:22:26]Um I think for us is is interesting and exciting to enter like to make a bigger step as well Mambai ingredient savory into the nutrition like a lot of our ingredients uh play in the flavor area.

[00:22:45]Now we are uh taking a a big step into nutrition and the fact that is a sustainable uh source of protein for us it's really where we aim to go to have a sustainable portfolio to have a sustainable growth together with our partner in the food industry.

[00:23:04]>> And finally if you could leave product developers with one key takeaway about Hypro Beyond what would it be?

[00:23:11]So just try it because you will be amazed by how easily it can be included in your formulation when you're looking for a a protein source that would bring you to the next level. Let's say rich in protein, high in protein. If this is what you're looking for, this is the ingredient to taste.

[00:23:29]>> Well, can't wait to taste it myself.

[00:23:30]Sylvia, thank you very much for your time and uh I look forward to speaking with you again soon.

[00:23:35]>> Thank you very much.

[00:23:37]>> Take care.

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