Composition of PÂTIFU

What is PÂTIFU from? Detailed composition overview.

People often ask us: „What does PÂTIFU contain? What ingredients do you use and do you know their origin? How do you achieve such a fine texture? Does PÂTIFU really not contain any preservatives or chemicals?”

We have therefore prepared the most interesting information about PÂTIFU ingredients.

There are no preservatives or chemical dyes in this product. The journey to preparing the 9 flavors available on the market today was very long. You can read about how PÂTIFU was created here. (link to article about the history).

PÂTIFU contains:

• Tofu
• Vegetable oil
• Potatoes
• Yeast
• Yeast extract
• Spice
• Carrageenan
• Gum guar

Tofu in PÂTIFU

The main ingredient in PÂTIFU is tofu. It takes up almost ¼ of the total weight of the product. Another interesting fact is that we make the tofu for PÂTIFU ourselves. PÂTIFU is a product line by Veto, which has been making tofu for over 20 years.

PÂTIFU is suitable for people with celiac disease, diabetics, vegetarians, vegans and those who prefer a healthy lifestyle.

How do we achieve the fine texture?

To achieve the typical fine texture, we make tofu of a specific firmness. The tofu must also be as fresh as possible (in our case a maximum of 24 hours old). It is absolutely not possible to cut up some old tofu at the end of its shelf life for PÂTIFU.

The soybeans are not genetically modified.

By making our own tofu, we control one important parameter of the soybeans: they are not genetically modified (so-called non-GMO or GMO free soybeans). We always buy only certified and tested soybeans; we are also regularly tested by state control authorities, and we have always met the requirement for GMO free soy.

Vegetable oil in PÂTIFU

There is no animal fat in PÂTIFU; it is a 100% plant product and is therefore suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

We use pure oil from domestic rapeseed. We have several reasons for this:

• Rapeseed and olive oil are ranked at the top in terms of their effect on human health
• Rapeseed oil has a very beneficial nutritional profile, see more on Wikipedia
• By using a single type of oil, and domestic as well, we have control over the quality of this ingredient
• Only this oil can be purchased with a certificate that guarantees it is not from a genetically manipulated crop. We couldn’t be sure with mixed or other types of oils. This fact cannot be tested, because the oil does not show whether the plant is genetically modified or not.

Potatoes in PÂTIFU

The benefit of potatoes on human health is very well known. Why do we add potatoes to PÂTIFU? They help us naturally create a pleasant paste texture.

Yeast in PÂTIFU

We use yeast in PÂTIFU for two main reasons

1. Flavor – yeast gives it the typical rich, slightly astringent flavor. To further enhance this flavor, the yeast undergoes precise heat treatment prior to its use.
2. Technology – yeast has a very fine texture, and this property allows us to achieve the pleasant fine consistency of PÂTIFU itself, along with other factors.

PÂTIFU yeast extract

This is a yeast-derived product in which its proteins are broken down into individual amino acids and their fragments under very precise conditions, giving the product a very interesting flavor.

People often mistake yeast extract for glutamate, but these are completely different ingredients. This misconception is probably aided by the fact that glutamate is produced from yeast extract. Yeast, like other ingredients that contain a lot of protein, contains glutamic acid. However, its content is very small, at most a single-digit percentage for dried yeast (it also varies considerably according to the type of yeast).

Since yeast multiplies rapidly and can be multiplied on cheap crop waste, it has become a raw material for glutamate production. However, there are foods that have a much higher natural content of glutamic acid or its salts (typically tomatoes, seaweed, cheese,…) and are therefore not called glutamate. The human body contains glutamic acid and its salts; we synthesize about 50g a day, yet no one says “people are glutamate”! If you would like to know more about this topic, check out an article on the difference between yeast extract and glutamate.

Spices in PÂTIFU

Getting the flavor characteristics of PÂTIFU was the most difficult and longest part of the development process. It took us a long time to select the individual spices, most of which we purchase from suppliers guaranteeing high quality and seasonal stability.

The temperature during sterilization of the product, i.e. heating to a temperature of up to 125 °C, significantly affects the taste properties of various ingredients, but mostly the spices. After each recipe change we had to pass the sample through sterilization and then let it lie for at least a week before the sample could be evaluated and recipe modifications could made. And we did this over and over. Selecting spices and their combinations took us many months.

Carrageenan in PÂTIFU

This is a functional additive. It is important to us that the carrageenan is natural, of plant origin and safe and natural to use. Carrageenan is extracted from red algae Chondrus crispus , also called Irish moss.

The reason why we use carrageenan in PÂTIFU is purely technical. The machine that fills the pâtés into bowls can only fill a substance that is as thick as mustard. To make PÂTIFU a little thicker and pleasant to spread, we add a small amount of carrageenan. Thanks to this necessary amount of carrageenan, the pâtés are easy to fill into the bowls, and after it’s cooked it gets its final pleasant thickness, which it keeps throughout its long shelf life.

The use of carrageenan in food is permitted both in the Czech Republic and throughout the European Union and the United States of America. Carrageenan can be used in food for adults as well as children. You can read more about the use of carrageenan here.

Guar gum in PÂTIFU

Guar gum is fiber from the seeds of the plant Cyamopsis tetragonolobus. It is a natural substance that has no side effects and even lowers cholesterol. We only use a small amount of it so that the PÂTIFU mixture remains the same throughout its long shelf life, otherwise its consistency could change.

In the Czech Republic the use of this substance is allowed in the necessary amount in all foods, it is even allowed in baby milk from the fifth month of age.

PÂTIFU is therefore a healthy food that does not contain preservatives, chemical dyes, flavorings, gluten, animal ingredients, milk protein, lactose or cholesterol.

It is suitable as a meat substitute and is a healthy part of a diet. It can be consumed by both children and pregnant women, and is also suitable for people with celiac disease, diabetics, vegans, vegetarians or those who want to live a healthy lifestyle.

We have interesting PÂTIFU inspiration for you, which you can find in the PÂTIFU Inspirate section or in our social media like facebook and instagram.