Vegan Cold Cut Producers use Agar for a more Compact and Homogeneous Texture

Interest in veganism has grown steadily, especially over the last decade, to the point that the British magazine The Economist named 2019 'the year of the vegan'.

It is estimated that 6% of the USA population is vegan, in Spain 0.5%, in the UK 20% of young people and in Germany 16%.

This movement is here to stay and has brought with it an increasing supply and demand for products. But not only for vegans. Many people consume vegan products for reasons related to health, diet, allergies, intolerances, etc. The demand for meat substitute products continues to grow and it is estimated that they will account for 13% of global meat consumption by 2030.

Among the new vegan products that are being launched onto the market, cold cuts stand out. Not just chopped ham, mortadella or York ham. Chorizo, saucisson, salami and, of course, cheese can also be found in the market.

They are usually made from soybeans, spices, rice, legumes and vegetables. One of the issues that has always been present with these substitutes is texture. The difference could clearly be noticed when eating them, but agar has turned things around. By including agar in the recipes, a more compact and homogeneous texture has been achieved, getting increasingly close to that of the original products. Its properties make it possible to provide products with a perfect texture so that their appearance is similar to that of traditional cold cuts. Furthermore, as agar is insipid and colorless, it does not alter the recipe. As they are increasingly similar to the original products, their consumption has increased exponentially in recent years.