T. Hasegawa USA Inc. is responding to consumer demand for better-tasting vegan proteins with a technology that redefines plant-based protein flavor.

The California-based company recently launched PLANTREACT, a natural, science-driven flavor technology designed to replicate the taste of animal proteins in plant-based foods. Using advanced-reaction flavor techniques — like Maillard reactions and biotransformation steps, like enzymolysis, and fermentation — the PLANTREACT delivers chicken, beef, pork and milk profiles in fully vegan applications, ensuring that plant-based products taste just as rich as their animal-based counterparts.

The flavor profiles produced with T. Hasegawa’s PLANTREACT solve one of the industry’s challenges: making plant-based proteins more appealing. According to Mintel, the U.S. market for plant-based proteins was $1.225 billion in 2024, but the category declined 9.6% over the last year. Despite more than a quarter of U.S. consumers saying they limit or eliminate animal proteins in their diet, the market for plant-based proteins is declining, and flavor is among the reasons for this decline. A 2024 Mintel survey found that 36% of U.S. consumers claimed the reason they did not purchase plant-based proteins more often is because they didn’t taste great.

“Interest in plant-based diets is greater than ever, but the flavor profile of plant-based proteins has been a barrier for many consumers in the past,” says Mary Maier, director of flavor creation at T. Hasegawa USA. “We’re excited to offer a solution to this problem and change consumer perceptions of plant-based proteins with a natural technology that delivers a more satisfying and authentic taste experience.”

The technology was developed over a six-month period as part of T. Hasegawa’s “Bridge to Tokyo” program, which combines the R&D expertise and innovations of the company’s global headquarters in Japan and its California-based U.S. subsidiary.

The PLANTREACT launches with formulations in beef, chicken and pork flavors, along with milk, which aims to solve manufacturing challenges in producing vegan products by delivering a creamy taste that serves as an alternative to dairy products. Within each meat alternative flavor, T. Hasegawa targets a range of applications that replicate the specific flavor profile of cooked proteins, such as steak, burger patties, chicken tenders, battered/breaded par-fry and sausage. The PLANTREACT’s flavors are all-natural, so they can maintain clean-label guidelines and are heat-stable, ensuring a consistent taste regardless of cooking processes. All of the PLANTREACT’s flavors are available in a range of delivery systems, including liquid and dry paste.