Since 2021, our popular Plant-based Pro Series™ has been an opportunity for us here at Edlong to share our extensive experience and insights to build a community for developers looking to unlock the potential of their plant-based products.
For this latest entry into this ongoing series, we’ve introduced our Plant-based Pro Series™ Pro Tips video series. In this 13-week series, we’re releasing a bite-sized video every week that is packed with valuable insights and ideas to help you make the most out of our plant-based developments.
Five weeks into our series, we want to take a moment to recap and continue the conversations that started in the videos that are available now.

Pro Tip #1 – Choose Flavor Profiles that Compliment your Base
Watch Now!
In the quest to hit your taste targets, it can be easy to get disheartened by the stubborn off-notes that come with plant-based ingredients.
However, instead of fighting against your development’s base, Peter Kern, Junior Flavorist, suggests identifying these “off-notes” and finding flavor profiles that can honor and compliment them instead of trying to cover them up.

Want to learn more about this Pro Tip? Check out these other resources from Edlong:
Pro Tip #2 – Understanding Your Target Consumer
Watch Now!
Your product is innovative and exciting, but is it what your target consumer is looking for?
While a category like “plant-based” may seem straightforward, the diversity of consumers and their specific demands can create challenges for plant-based developers.
Even within demographics like vegans, vegetarians, and flexitarians, what they are looking for in terms of taste, nutrition, and ingredients can vary wildly.

That’s why Julie Drainville, Global Sensory Manager, stresses the importance of truly understanding your consumers and what they need from your product.
Learn more about this with these other resources from Edlong:
- Winning Over Flexitarian Consumers
- Better-for-you, Cleaner Labels, and Great Taste? Yet, it’s Possible!
Pro Tip #3 – Establishing A Problem Statement
The first step to solving a problem is admitting you have one in the first place.
The second step is to understand what’s behind your issue and how it’s keeping you from reaching your desired targets. “Establishing a problem statement” as Dr. Bernd Koehler, Global VP of R&D, explains, is the process of pinpointing the technical challenges hindering your product.
Making your problem statement as specific as possible allows you to better understand the gaps between your current product and your desired results and how to approach possible solutions.
Watch this Pro Tip now to Learn More!
Pro Tip #4 – Understanding Plant-Based Off-Notes
Watch Now!
As the plant-based market continues to grow, so does the range of available ingredients, especially proteins.

This is a major reason why there is no one-size-fits-all solution for dealing with off-notes. Each ingredient can present different and unique off-notes. Even when comparing ingredients like pea proteins, you may find they have vastly different off-notes.
For this reason, Ashley Sabo, Technical Specialist, emphasizes the importance of really understanding the inherent characteristics and off-notes of the specific ingredients in your base.
Check out this valuable article from Edlong to learn more about this Pro Tip topic:
Pro Tip #5 – Hydration of the Plant-Based Protein
Lingering aftertastes are a common occurrence when developing with plant-based proteins. Fortunately, according to Nestor Vázquez, Sr Food Scientist, there are things you can do to help minimize the impact of these aftertastes and achieve authentic and delicious flavor profiles.
Watch this Pro Tip now to learn more!
Check back next Monday for another one of these valuable Plant-Based Pro-Tips!
Find out how to get exclusive access to all of Edlong’s Plant-Based Pro Tips at once!
Hungry for more? Check out our other Plant-Based Pro-Series™ Resources, including webinars, trend reports, and more.
Topics: Plant-BasedPlant-Based Pro SeriesPlant-Based Pro Tips
Resource Type: Article