Ingredients specialist Loryma has developed a combination of wheat-based components for a vegan version of chicken thighs. The company said replication of chicken skin is achieved with a specially developed coating system, while Lory Tex wheat texturates with a highly functional Lory Bind binding system imitate the fibrous muscle meat.

Vegetable skin that mimics chicken skin is achieved with the help of a specially developed wheat-based coating system. It is applied as a flowable oil-in-water emulsion to the shaped imitation meat by means of conventional coating technology, as used in wet panades. The contained functional mixture of wheat proteins, starches and gelling agent creates an elastic, irreversible, thin surface coating that convincingly reproduces chicken skin and becomes crispy during the final preparation, according to Loryma.

Loryma said that during frying and grilling, the outer shell becomes crispy, while the inside remains juicy and tender.

“Recreating crispy chicken skin with purely vegetable ingredients was a real challenge, yet we are more than satisfied with the final concept," said Norbert Klein, Head of Product Development at Loryma. "It’s just right for everyone who wants to give up meat but not this classic treat.”