Solving meaty problems with the Ingredient Solutions team

Finding meat substitutes that taste like the real thing

Can you create a plant burger that tastes and feels just like a meat one? It’s a question that everyone is asking right now – and one that I am dedicated to answering, in my role as Lead Technician within our Ingredient Solutions team.

The focus of my work is alternative proteins. I spend my days in the lab, looking at non-meat protein substitutes to understand how they function in different conditions, and how we could use them to help consumers make the shift away from animal-based products.

Research is key

I already had degrees in dietetics and chemical engineering when I applied to dsm-firmenich about two-and-a-half years ago. But, on joining the company, I decided I wanted to learn even more. Since then, I’ve been studying part time for a master’s in food technology at Wageningen University & Research.

I got the opportunity to investigate how the starch we get from legumes differs from the starch we get from wheat or rice. It’s an area we do not yet fully understand, but one that could be very important to the work we do, because when you extract protein from legumes such as chickpeas or faba beans, you also get starch.

Learning and developing on the job

At heart, dsm-firmenich is an innovation powerhouse, which is good news if you are a person who is eager to learn and develop. And there is always someone you can turn to for help if there’s anything you don’t understand. It may feel a little intimidating at first, but making progress at work is so much easier when you know you can find the answer to any question simply by sending an email or sitting down for a 30-minute chat.

Lab work that impacts the real world

Scientific research can often feel a little abstract. But not in my field of inquiry. We work with tangible products that people use and rely on every day. Take meat substitutes. The solutions we find could have a real impact on how people shop, cook and eat all over the world. There’s nothing better than seeing the work you do day to day being applied across the business and impacting products on the shelves.

A different kind of challenge

Last year, I applied to take part in the extremely popular Rotterdam Marathon. I was not one of the lucky few who got a ticket, but then I discovered that you can also earn a place if you secure enough donations for a nominated charity. I put the message out to my dsm-firmenich colleagues and, with their help, I have managed to raise the required funds for KWF (Dutch Cancer Society), which means I’ll be there on the starting line this April. Work aside, it’s my biggest challenge for this year.