Plant-based food has gone mainstream, and consumers demand more choice, better quality and more sustainable products. Yet, food manufacturers face challenges: removing animal ingredients affects texture, taste, processability and nutrition of the final product.

At the new congress “Plant-based Solutions” in the series “Future of Confectionery”, which will take place from 29 to 30 October 2019 in Solingen/Germany, the Central College of the German Confectionery Industry ZDS has set as its goal to give confectionery producers a critical and informative evaluation of the important plant-based raw materials and their processing. Within this framework, the technological main focus of current developments, substitution concepts for animal-based ingredients and the future chances of these sweets will be presented.

The congress, organized in cooperation with starch specialist Avebe, will serve as a platform to create impulses for innovative products and to forge a link between suppliers and confectionery producers. The programme will address the following key issues: market and trends, flavour & texture ingredients, processing of plant-based ingredients, non-dairy concepts, egg substitution concepts, gelatine replacement concepts.

The symposium is aimed primarily at specialists from the confectionery industry, particularly from the areas research & development, application & product development, technical service, production and marketing. A foyer exhibition and informative demonstrations compliment the main lectures.