Fermented Onions Unlock Natural ‘Meaty’ Flavors in Plant-Based Alternatives

However, replicating the savory flavors and aromas of traditional meat has posed a marked challenge, often requiring the use of synthetic additives. These flavorings are typically prepared synthetically or through chemical processes, preventing them from being labeled as “natural” in many countries. © arcyto – stock.adobe.com Achieving a genuinely natural meat flavoring would necessitate extracting flavoring chemicals from plants or generating them biochemically using enzymes, bacteria, or fungi .

Researchers, led by YanYan Zhang, explored the possibility of using fungi known for producing meaty flavors and odors from synthetic sources to create these flavoring compounds from vegetables and spices. Through a series of experiments, the team fermented various fungal species with a variety of foods and discovered that meaty aromas were primarily produced from members of the Allium family, such as onions and leeks.

The most robust meat-like scent was obtained from an 18-hour fermentation of onions using the fungus Polyporus umbellatus, resulting in a fragrance resembling that of liver sausage. High sulfur content The team utilized gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to analyze the onion ferments, identifying numerous chemicals responsible for various meat flavors. One such chemical was bis(2-methyl-3-furyl) disulfide, a potent odorant found in meaty and savory foods.

The researchers attribute the ability of Alliums to yield meat-flavored compounds to their high sulfur content, a characteristic often present in meat savor compounds. The findings of this study suggest that these onion ferments could potentially serve as a natural flavoring in various plant-based meat alternatives, addressing one of the primary reasons buyers reject these products: the lack of meaty savor after cookery.