New solutions for conventional meat products and the plant-based market 

Hamburg, March 2025 – At this year’s IFFA, sister companies Hydrosol and Planteneers are showing forward-looking solutions, including hybrid products and meat alternatives based on new plant-based protein sources such as mycoprotein. Exciting developments around clean label and convenience can also be found at their shared booth C89 in Hall 11.0.  

Hydrosol: Hybrid products, convenience, and cleaner label snacks

Hybrid products are a Hydrosol highlight. These combinations of traditional meat with vegetables, plant proteins, mycoproteins, or cultured cells have enormous market potential. According to a study by Meticulous Research, in 2020, the world market revenue for hybrid meat was 58.7 million USD. 

Through 2028, experts project average annual growth (CAGR) of 36.6 percent to 673.8 million USD. Hydrosol supplies creative product ideas for this booming market with its PLUSmulson range of stabilizing systems. 

At the IFFA, the company is presenting solutions for kebabs, nuggets, and formed ham. With the vegetables they contain and their reduced meat content, they meet consumer demand for healthier meat products. The final products feature an even, meaty bite and tender, moist consistency. 

Thanks to this specially developed formulation, the vegetable pieces in the products remain stable, even during grilling, frying, or deep-frying. Hydrosol’s presentation at the IFFA Kitchen & Stage at 15:15 on 5 May is likewise about new ways to eat balanced, sustainably, and deliciously.  

In the convenience space, the company focuses on functionality and cost savings. One example is meatballs in tomato sauce, showcasing the binding abilities of the HydroTOP High Gel range, among other advantages. The system allows flexibility in the amount of meat or fish contained. Even in recipes with low meat content, when heated, the product has an authentic juicy texture.  

For the innovation-driven snack market, Hydrosol has developed Chicken Jerky and Chips with high protein content. The system is free of E-numbers and enables the production of meaty snacks and boiled sausage. Trade show attendees can try them out at the booth – it’s the perfect opportunity to experience the quality and versatility of the product. 

Planteneers: Focus on clean label, MC-free products, and mycoprotein solutions

Among Planteneers’ highlights at the show are clean-label solutions. One of these is a plant-based salami alternative that uses wheat protein. This is presented in two versions: as a trendy snack stick for on-the-go indulgence and as salami slices for enjoying hot or cold. 

Free of additives and methylcellulose: Planteneers will show how manufacturers can meet consumer desires for natural plant-based alternatives with MC-free products in an exciting presentation with an exclusive cooking show at the IFFA Kitchen & Stage (3 May, 12:20, Hall 11.0 D41). With plant-based convenience products like burgers and meatballs, the company demonstrates that E-number-free ingredient declarations are possible without compromising on taste and texture.

High-value proteins that require only minimal processing are increasingly important in the plant-based market. Natural protein sources based on fermentation are attracting growing interest in this context. Mycoprotein is an excellent example. Thanks to its meat-like structure, it features great texture and pleasant bite. At the IFFA, Planteneers is showing the enormous potential and many possible uses of mycoprotein, including chicken breast and salmon.  

Together with Handtmann, a provider of system technology for food processing, Planteneers has been enabling the production of plant-based steaks and tenderloins with authentic marbling and texture for a year now. Products such as cost-optimized steak variants, bacon, cooked ham, and carpaccio are now being added to the range. This allows food processors to take full advantage of the innovative technology and reduce production costs at the same time. 

Whether convenience best-sellers like pizza or burgers, käsekrainer, or cordon bleu, the combination of meat and cheese has many facets. This is no less the case in the plant-based category, and Planteneers is accordingly also presenting plant-based cheese alternatives in Frankfurt. Visitors can taste-test cheese slices with a protein content of four percent, featuring an authentic bite and elastic texture. An advantage of these cheese alternatives is that they can be integrated seamlessly into existing processes with standard bowl cutters with cooking functions. Thus, meat producers can make plant-based cheese alternatives quickly and easily without major investment in new machines. The flavors can be flexibly adjusted, from gouda, butter cheese, and emmentaler to varieties with fenugreek. 

About Hydrosol and Planteneers

Hydrosol GmbH & Co. KG, headquartered in Ahrensburg near Hamburg, Germany, is a fast-growing international supplier of food stabilizers, with subsidiaries around the world. Its specialists develop and produce tailor-made stabilizer systems for dairy products, ice cream and desserts, delicatessen foods, and ready meals, as well as meat, sausage, and fish products. 

Planteneers GmbH, headquartered in Ahrensburg, Germany, develops and produces individual functional systems for plant-based alternatives to meat, sausage, and fish products, along with cheese, dairy products, and deli foods. 

As members of the independent, owner-operated Stern-Wywiol Gruppe with a total of twelve sister companies, Hydrosol and Planteneers can make use of many synergies. The companies have access to the knowledge of some 125 R&D specialists and to the extensive applications technology of the large Stern-Technology Center in Ahrensburg. Customers also benefit from the Group’s international network of 19 subsidiaries and numerous qualified foreign representatives in the world’s key markets, as well as shared production facilities and the Group’s own logistics resources. With revenues exceeding 672 million euros and some 1974 employees around the globe, the Stern-Wywiol Gruppe is one of the world’s most successful international companies in the world of Food & Feed Ingredients.