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Creamy pesto in 100% organic quality

The secret of our creamy organic pesto

Pesto is a true all-rounder and can be used in a variety of ways.
Whether as a classic accompaniment to pasta, as a spread on bread or as a spicy ingredient in innovative dishes – creamy pesto has become indispensable.
But what is behind the creamy organic pestos?

 

Cremiges Pesto Byodo Naturkost

Why have we developed a creamy pesto?

The well-known pasta and pesto in the blue packaging are classics that end up in almost every shopping basket and are absolute favorites.
However, such a creamy pesto has yet to be found in organic and delicious form.
So this is a classic case for Byodo – because we have always seen it as an exciting challenge to achieve enjoyment in 100% organic quality – without any conventional additives such as chemical additives or flavor enhancers.

Bio Zusatzstoffe Byodo Naturkost

Additives in organic food

While up to 320 additives are permitted in conventional food production in the EU to optimize taste, color and shelf life, we rely on natural ingredients.
Only 56 additives are also permitted for organic food.
We deliberately avoid using this large number of substances and only use what is absolutely necessary.
In our internal quality guidelines, we have stipulated that we only use 4 additives across our entire product range: Guar gum, agar-agar and locust bean gum as natural thickeners and citric acid as a natural preservative.

Cremiges Pesto Byodo Naturkost

Only 1 additive in our pesto varieties

In our new pestos, which we wanted to develop so wonderfully creamy based on the conventional original, we only use guar gum as a thickening agent.
This ensures that the consistency is not too runny and remains the same throughout the entire shelf life.
We think: It’s something to behold and, above all, to taste!

Interview with Magdalena from the quality department

Magdalena is responsible for pasta, pesto and snacks in our quality department and has accompanied the journey of our creamy pesto from development to the finished product. We asked her what makes the pesto so creamy and what special features it has.

Magdalena Zach, Qualitätsexpertin bei Byodo Naturkost
Only 4 carefully selected additives are used in our products - for maximum enjoyment.
Magdalena,
Quality employee

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What is special about the new pestos?

“Our new pestos are characterized in particular by their creaminess and versatility. We only use one carefully selected additive, guar gum, in the production of our pestos in order to preserve the natural taste and high quality of the ingredients. We also attach great importance to sustainable and organic ingredients from controlled cultivation. We use faba bean protein – from faba beans grown in Germany – as an excellent source of vegetable protein. This enables us to offer a creamy pesto in 100% organic quality.”

 

How does quality assurance work at Byodo?

“We ensure the high quality of our products through double quality assurance, both externally by our partner suppliers and internally by Byodo. At Byodo, every incoming batch of products is carefully checked. The employees in the warehouse check whether the goods are properly packaged and randomly check the weight of the items. The quality assurance department checks the appearance, smell, taste and consistency – in short, the sensory properties – of each batch as well as the information on the labels. The sensory properties of all products are agreed with the producer in the specification and must be adhered to. When sensory issues arise, the team can draw on the advice of the internal Byodo Panel, a group of people who receive regular training on sensory issues. There is also a comprehensive analysis plan that sets out the parameters to be tested in the various product groups. As a member of the BNN (Bundesverband Naturkost Naturwaren), compliance with the appointed orientation and guideline values is a voluntary commitment that is even stricter than the EU regulations and which we are very happy to fulfill.”

 

Why does the list of ingredients for pesto say “hard cheese” and not “Parmesan”?

“To answer this, the difference between microbial rennet and animal rennet must first be clarified. Rennet is an enzyme that is required for the production of cheese. It promotes the coagulation of milk, which is then later processed into cheese. In principle, there are two possible sources of the enzyme:

  • Animal rennet: It comes from the abomasum of young calves, where it is actually responsible for digestion.
    Consequently, it is also obtained from the stomachs of dead calves.
  • Microbial rennet (not animal): It comes from the fermentation of mold cultures.

Parmesan cheese, which is traditionally used for pesto, has a protected designation of origin. Among other things, this stipulates that animal rennet must be used for the cheese. As we want to offer a vegetarian product, this is also the reason why we do not use Parmesan cheese in our pesto, but hard cheese instead, as microbial rennet may also be used in the production of hard cheese. This is not a disadvantage in terms of quality, but for us it means that vegetarians can also enjoy our pestos. The Byodo Pesto Rosso with sun-dried tomatoes is even vegan and just as deliciously creamy as the other two varieties thanks to faba bean protein.”

 

How long did the new pestos take from the first attempt to the final product and what challenges had to be overcome?

“As already mentioned, we have an internal sensory panel made up of people with sensory training from the various departments. In this panel, upcoming product developments are tasted on a weekly basis and taste requirements for a product or suggestions for improvement are collected in a joint discussion and ultimately the final recipe is approved from a sensory perspective. Product development for our three new creamy pesto varieties proved to be difficult in different ways.

  • The creamy Pesto Rosso we were able to say goodbye to it after just one reworking.
  • The development of the other two varieties was more complex.
    For example, one request from our sensory panel was that the Pesto alla Genovese should be less salty than the previous recipe.
    At the same time, salt is essential for the shelf life of the product.
    In the end, we were able to reduce the salt content by 1g/100g compared to the previous recipe and at the same time guarantee the shelf life of the product for two years.
  • With the creamy Pesto Calabrese took a few rounds of development to achieve a balance between the spiciness of the hard cheese and the heat of the peppers that all panel members were happy with.

The development process can therefore take a little longer, as we only want to sell products with which we are 100% satisfied in terms of taste. That is why we make our Byodo promise of enjoyment.”

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