Vegans, vegetarians, flexitarians and food manufacturers seeking ways to save on costs have a new ingredient option for plant-based butter alternatives.

St. Louis-based Bunge introduced Beleaf PlantBetter in North America in July after launching it in Europe in 2023. The company said its Beleaf PlantBetter captures the aroma, taste and texture of traditional butter. A series of blind sensory panel studies Bunge conducted across three countries demonstrated that Beleaf PlantBetter is on par with national butter brands. More than 700 consumers said they equally preferred Beleaf PlantBetter to traditional butter. Beleaf PlantBetter’s melt curve matched butter’s melt curve.

Beleaf PlantBetter is vegan, dairy-free, lactose-free, non-palm and soy-free. Ingredients include tropical fats, oilseed oil, plant-based milk alternatives, water, lecithin, natural flavors and naturally sourced colors.

“So it’s really a clean label, too,” said Brian Armstrong, vice president of North American oils R&D for Bunge. “There are not any unrecognizable ingredients. The (Bunge) team did a great job to really match and mimic real dairy butter.”

Bunge cited FMCG Gurus data from 2022 showing 69% of consumers said drinking and eating dairy alternatives are better for the environment. Among consumers who choose not to consume dairy, 62% cite environmental concerns.

Armstrong gave three benefits for Beleaf PlantBetter. First, a sustainability benefit comes in that PlantBetter has 50% fewer greenhouse gas emissions than conventional dairy butter. Second, its taste, texture, performance and function match conventional dairy better. Finally, PlantBetter may reduce food manufacturers’ costs because conventional dairy butter costs are volatile, Armstrong said.

“We are currently looking more at the flexitarian (market), a larger population, those that are not necessarily looking to remove animal products from all of their meals but some of their meals,” said Erin Massey, business development manager. “We think the opportunity lies there instead of specifically focusing on the vegan population.”

The plant-based butter alternative category could use a boost. Sales of plant-based butter/margarine were $130.4 million for the 52 weeks ended Dec. 31, 2023, up 1.4% from the previous 52-week period, according to Circana, a Chicago-based market research firm. Refrigerated butter sales over the same time period were $4.20 billion, up 5.6%.

MarketsandMarkets, Inc., Northbrook, Ill., forecasts the dairy alternatives market to have a compound annual growth rate of 10% from 2023 to 2028, increasing to $43.6 billion from $27 billion.

Almond butter and almond protein are other ingredient options for plant-based dairy alternatives.

“Almond butter, with its flexibility of form, creamy texture and binding and coating properties, blends seamlessly with other ingredients to create better-for-you vegan products,” said Cynthia Machado, PhD, senior technical business development manager for Blue Diamond Growers, Sacramento, Calif.

Almond butter and almond protein may be used to create dairy analogs.

“Both have fine, uniform particle sizes that contribute to a smooth texture in dairy alternatives,” Machado said. “Almond protein has a solubility that reduces the formation of aggregates that can contribute to a gritty final texture. Almond butter has a high emulsion capacity, and almond protein has good gelling and water-holding properties. Both almond butter and protein have a light cream color close to dairy ingredients.”

Almond butter has low viscosity, and almond protein is easy to disperse in water, she said. Due to these two characteristics, the ingredients can be easily handled by line operators during the manufacturing process. Both ingredients have a clean neutral flavor and no off-flavors, which eliminates the need for flavor maskers and allows them to be used in sweet and savory applications.

Plant proteins do not have the same amino acid composition as milk proteins, which affects structure and function.

“For example, amino acid composition is one factor affecting a protein's solubility at different pHs,” Machado said. “If a protein is not soluble at a certain pH, it can precipitate or form aggregates. You can see this when mixing plant-based milk with coffee (which has a lower pH). The proteins in the plant-based milk either form a layer on the bottom or top of the coffee or form coagulates. In fermented products such as yogurt, you can have a gritty texture due to the poor solubility of the plant proteins at a low pH.

“Emulsification and gelling properties are key considerations in the formulation of non-dairy yogurts to create the sensory characteristics consumers expect. Additionally, some plant-based proteins can add off-flavors, odors or unappealing colors to finished products, and masking these becomes a key challenge.”