Meat extenders make it possible to obtain juicy processed products with a non-paste texture in the mouth, increasing their yield and without sacrificing their organoleptic and nutritional quality. That is their mission.
And they fulfil it perfectly, especially those meat extenders made from top quality cereals and pulses at source, such as those offered by Molendum, a subsidiary of the Dacsa Group, which is committed to offering the food industry gluten-free texturized products that can be used as high-quality meat extenders.
The use of meat extenders has proven to be an option with an excellent commercial projection in the meat industry because, in addition to reducing production costs, which ultimately results in a reduction in the final price that has consumers as its greatest beneficiaries, meat extenders made from gluten-free pulses and/or cereals, offer a specific food alternative for the diets of people with coeliac disease or gluten intolerance.
Because the use of meat extenders has been linked from its first steps in the industry to a quantitative increase of the product, gradually improving its consumption conditions and organoleptic qualities; this is a fact, but it is also very important to remember, and more so in the food reality we live in which allergies and intolerances to gluten have increased significantly, that this food solution that Molendum promotes, meets the needs and expectations of people who cannot consume gluten in their diet either because they have some kind of allergy or because they are intolerant.
In fact, in Spain alone there are estimated to be 450,000 people with coeliac disease, according to data from 2024 published by the Spanish Federation of Coeliac Associations, FACE, reaching more than 1% of the world’s population. In addition, and parallel to the increase in gluten allergies and intolerances, there is a sector of consumers who do not want gluten to be present in their diet on a permanent basis and are therefore increasingly inclined to consume gluten intermittently in their daily diet and are consequently demanding more quality gluten-free products on the market at reasonable prices.
In this sense, Molendum Ingredients’ texturised products provide the possibility of finding gluten-free meat extenders based on rice, white maize and peas that can be used in a wide variety of products.
Products such as hamburgers, meatballs or sausages, which will seduce new customers, both for the personal seal of the manufacturer and for their functionality.
