Rethinking Protein for A Cleaner Smarter Future
As the global food system faces mounting pressure to deliver cleaner, more sustainable nutrition, the shift toward alternative proteins is just one part of a broader transformation.
SUSTAINABLE PLANT PROTEIN INGREDIENTS
All protein starts with plants. Protein is the only macronutrient that has not been demonized. On the contrary, people living in developed and affluent countries can’t seem to get enough of it. Yet, society should not close its eyes to climate change, especially extreme weather and rapid population growth, which is intensifying pressure on traditional […]
US Anti-Dumping Tariffs Restrict Chinese Pea Protein
Some years ago, China converted several soy protein processing facilities to produce pea protein concentrates and isolates as well as high-protein ingredients from pulses.
Soy Protein too Big to Fail
Author & Protein Application Specialist, Henk Hoogenkamp, gives his expert opinion on the potential of soy protein. SOYBEANS are known to contain specific proteins that cause allergic reactions or inhibit the absorption of other nutrients such as the so-called anti- nutritional proteins like trypsin inhibitors and lectins (carbohydrate-binding proteins). Humans and some animals have intolerances […]
Upcycled Barley: The Protein Brewery Part 2
This second installment on upcycled barley continues from the previous April/May issue on barley protein application opportunities. Contributed by Henk Hoogenkamp.
Upcycled Barley: The protein brewery
The beer brewing industry has made significant strides in upcycling spent grains into valuable protein ingredients. What matters is discovering natural barley protein application opportunities and proprietary technologies that are responsible for sustainable sourcing while amplifying the best from nature, taste, nutrition, and health. Contributed by Henk Hoogenkamp.
PROTEIN EQUIVALENCY
For most people, meat happens to be incredibly tasty and nutritious, and perhaps the
only way to successfully replace it is to develop a superior plant-based product that is equally good in organoleptic performance, such as taste and texture. Plant-based burgers such as those marketed by Impossible Foods, Beyond Meat, and Nestle’s Garden Gourmet, are well on their way being at par with the beef burger equivalent.
In the aftermath of the hype
Although plant meat companies like to paint a different picture, it is a fact that – except for the food service sector – sales in the US and some EU countries have decreased by double digits since 2022. Plant meat sales are stagnating, and that is quite a departure from the mega- growth numbers in the years pre- ceding 2022.
TRANSFORMATIONAL PLANT MEAT
The transformational journey from animal protein nutrition to plant protein nutrition is a long and winding road. It has taken years of trial and error to create a plant-based meat analog product that is almost indistinguishable from animal meat. The science and technology are not quite there yet, but a little progress is made every day.
SOY PROTEIN TOO BIG TO FAIL
The term “soy protein” was changed to “vegetable protein”, as a strategic move o ease the consumers’ concern and improve their negative perception of soy in the early 1990s.