Milk is considered a complete nutritious food, and science and technologies have evolved in order to supply healthy, safe and delicious fermented dairy products. However, it is undeniable that the global population is growing, and new foods are needed to satisfy the different needs of the society in a sustainable way. Among different plant sources, legumes and cereals are considered relatively good raw materials, both in terms of nutritional composition and for the positive impact on the environment and bio-economy. Despite this, producers of fermented plant-based foods are facing many challenges in satisfying consumers´ expectations of product nutrition and quality due to limited knowledge of production processing and microstructural building. This is reflected in products being developed which require added nutrients, texturising and aroma ingredients.

A range of texturising ingredients are added in order to achieve similar textural properties and behaviour to fermented dairy products. Aromas are also often added to mask the beany and/or cereal flavours coming from the raw materials. Chr. Hansen is generating knowledge on fermentation of selected plant bases, aiming to correct these product defects using judicious choice of selected starter cultures with high texturing properties and with the ability to mask beany/cereal flavour notes. Different bacteria, including probiotics, are screened to identify optimal properties, such as a fast and robust fermentation profile, cell growth and survival during shelf-life, and their texturising effect. The obtained data demonstrates that selected bacteria can impart strong microstructure building and contribute to a positive mouth feel, resembling the textural properties of fermented dairy products. In addition, some of the studied cultures have the potential to mask beany flavours by contributing volatiles and acids to the products´ complex aroma profile. The outcome of this journey will lead to solutions for healthy, clean label fermented plant-based products.