The NutriSoy Next™ meat alternatives are high-moisture protein products with a taste and 'whole muscle' texture, the firm said.
Europeans are increasingly developing a taste for soy with soyfood categories in retail outlets expanding rapidly across the region.
After a market growth of well over 10 per cent in 2002 compared to the previous year, soya-based drinks and desserts and meat-free and tofu products again showed double figure growth in 2003, reaching a value of €1.5 billion, according to new data from Prosoy. The market analysts expect the market to continue growing like this between 2004 and 2006.
Soya-based dairy alternatives remains the most dynamic category, recording a growth close to 20 per cent in 2003.
"The demand for soya-based milks, yoghurts and desserts is growing as a result of changes in lifestyle, growing food intolerance and allergies, as well as the positive health image of soya," said Gerard Klein Essink, senior researcher at Prosoy Research & Strategy.
Soy ingredients are no longer the domain of specialist soyfood companies but are increasingly being taken up by firms looking to diversify a product range or add a health element.
This innovation is likely to be sustained by widely expected health claims under new European regulations. National authorities in certain European countries could also approve new health claims for soya this year.
"Companies have changed their packaging to feature this logo on their products. Alpro used the momentum to launch a major mass marketing campaign to 2 million consumers and has definitely benefited from the claim,"said Essink.
ADM said this week that in producing the NutriSoy Next range, the firm has combined soya proteins with other vegetable proteins 'for a succulent effect.'
"While conventional proteins usually have moisture levels of 30 per cent or less, ADM NutriSoy Next benefits from a higher moisture content (50 - 80 per cent), which gives it a tender texture and locks in the flavour," added the firm.