Acid-hydrolyzed vegetable protein

Hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP) products are foodstuffs obtained by protein hydrolysis and are used as ingredients with an authentic bouillon (broth) taste.

Regarding the production process, a distinction can be made between acid-hydrolysed vegetable vitamin (aHVP), enzymatically produced HVP, and other seasonings, e.g., fermented soy sauce. Hydrolysed vegetable protein products are particularly used to round off the taste of soups, sauces, meat products, snacks, and other dishes, as well as for the production of ready-to-cook soups and bouillons.

Food technologists have long known that protein hydrolysis produces a meat bouillon-like odour and taste. In 1831, Berzelius obtained products having a meat bouillon taste when hydrolysing proteins with hydrochloric acid.

Fischer concluded it was amino acids that contributed to the specific taste. In 1954, Philipps found that the bouillon odour required the presence of proteins containing threonine. Another important substance giving a characteristic taste is glutamic acid.

Julius Maggi produced acid-catalyzed hydrolyzed vegetable protein industrially for the first time in 1886.

Almost all products rich in protein are suitable for the production of HVP. Today, it is made mainly from protein resources of vegetable origin, such as maize gluten, soybean meal, or wheat gluten.

Proteins consist of chains of amino acids joined together through amide bonds. When subjected to hydrolysis (hydrolyzed), the protein is broken down into its component amino acids. In industry, hydrochloric acid is used to perform this process, The remaining acid is then neutralized by mixing with an alkali such as sodium hydroxide, which leaves behind table salt, which comprises up to 20% of the final product.

The manufacturing process for HVP varies depending on the desired organoleptic properties of the end product. In general, common vegetable raw materials used in the production of HVP include defatted oil seeds (soy, rapeseed), and protein mainly from maize, wheat, pea, and rice.

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