Powering the future of food: How plant-based proteins are revolutionising new product development

Over the past two decades, plant-based protein ingredients used in the food and beverage industry have evolved and grown significantly.

While soya protein initially dominated the market, consumer demand for clean-label, allergen-friendly, and sustainable alternatives has ushered in a new era for protein alternatives. Today, in addition to pea protein, wheat protein and plant-based protein concentrates (a combination of ingredients such as fava bean and yellow pea) are popular.   

With continuous advancements in extraction methods, formulation techniques, and new recipes, plant proteins will continue their steady upswing, offering more functionality for food manufacturers, and a better taste and sensory experience for consumers – significantly impacting innovations for plant-based product solutions in the food industry.

Driving the shift in plant-based innovation

The rise in plant-based products high in protein is driven by the consumer’s desire to be healthier, take care of the environment, and critically, behave ethically towards domestic animals reared for eating.

These requirements led to a burst of new product development including dairy alternatives, high-protein plant-based snacks, meat substitutes such as nuggets, burgers, and sausages, and ready-to-drink beverages and functional shakes in the sports nutrition category.  

To meet demand, brands are constantly investigating fresh solutions in high-protein plant-based ingredients that not only offer optimal nutrition, but solutions to common product development challenges.

Historically, high protein plant-based products struggled to meet the stringent taste demands of consumers, particularly around organoleptic and sensory attributes such as texture and mouthfeel, in combination with formulation challenges such as shelf life and stability. 

While a small segment of consumers might compromise taste and texture for health benefits, the majority will not. This makes the development of high-protein plant-based products that can overcome these barriers a challenging and exciting area of discovery and innovation for the industry.  

Pea protein packs a powerful punch 

An important source of nutritional components and rich in protein, starch, and fibre, pea protein is considered a high-quality protein and functional ingredient due to its low allergenicity, availability, affordability, ease of use, and sustainability credentials.

Pea protein is also widely considered as one of the lowest carbon proteins. According to an article on BBC Future, producing 100g of protein from peas emits just 0.4kg of CO2e. This is almost 90 times less than getting the same amount of protein from beef.² In addition, pea protein offers excellent functional properties that make it a promising ingredient in processing, offering great solubility, water and oil holding capacity, emulsion ability, gelation, and viscosity.

Although traditionally used as a substitute for cereal flour, fats, and animal proteins, the functional properties of pea protein and its fractions offer exciting potential in the development of a wide range of products.

In meat alternatives, pea protein can provide structure and texture in meat analogues, mimicking the fibrous structure of meat, and assisting with binding and water retention while improving juiciness. It can also contribute a creamy mouthfeel to dairy alternatives such as yoghurt, cheese, and high-protein dairy drinks.

In terms of the growing sports nutrition category, pea protein with its high branched-chain amino acid content makes it an appealing ingredient for products targeting muscle recovery, while assisting with moisture retention and the replacement of binding agents in snacks.

However, formulating with pea protein is not without its challenges, particularly regarding taste and flavour, mouthfeel and texture, and functionality in high-moisture foods. These are not insurmountable.

By adapting formulation strategies, it is possible to enhance performance across a wide range of food and beverage products. Blending with other plant proteins, for instance, can improve smoothness while adopting high processing methods, including high moisture extrusion and shear cell technology can assist in improving the texture of meat products. When it comes to weighing up the benefits of using pea protein in new product formulations, the positives far outweigh the negatives!

Wheat protein for select applications  

But pea protein is not the only high protein plant-based ingredient that offers excellent functionality. The use of wheat protein in the food industry, primarily as wheat gluten or textured wheat protein has been a key component in plant-based product development for years. Wheat protein is highly regarded for its unique elasticity and binding properties and for its ability to create meat-like textures. This makes it a staple ingredient in numerous food applications.

In plant-based meat substitutes, wheat protein can contribute a chewy, fibrous, and meat-like texture without the need for extensive processing. It also pairs well with other plant proteins and is frequently blended with pea or soy protein to enhance the nutritional value and mouthfeel.

In baked goods and snacks, wheat protein can contribute to dough elasticity, structure, and moisture retention, while improving rise and crumb texture^. Wheat protein is often blended with oil, pea protein, and other starches to create a more holistic mouthfeel with great functionality as a binding and texturising agent in bars and extruded snacks.

The primary challenge around wheat protein is that it is not suitable for gluten-free or celiac-friendly products. Processing with wheat protein can also throw up challenges around the texture of products, but processes such as high moisture extrusion, particularly in premium meat alternatives can limit these challenges.

Wheat protein remains a versatile, functional, and cost-effective ingredient in plant-based product development. While it offers excellent texture and binding properties, further innovations in blending, processing, and formulation will optimise its role as a next-generation ingredient for the food and beverage industry.

Unpacking the benefits of soy protein

Soy proteins have a long history of use in the food and beverage industry, with innovations driving improvements in taste, by offering blander profiles, and less viscosity that enable formulators to up the soy content of a product without impacting its texture. It is a brilliantly functional ingredient too, with great dispersibility, flowability, and solubility. These are significant benefits when formulating high-protein nutritional beverages, nutrition bars, and meat and dairy alternatives.

What sets soy protein apart from other plant-based products is its ability to form a gel after heating. Heat gelation can positively impact the texture and shape of a product, bind or immobilise fat and water, and improve sensory and organoleptic properties. In addition, it can also extend shelf life and regulate viscosity while modifying the gel structure of a product. 

With continued improvements in taste, texture, and functionality, more consumers will opt for products containing soy protein, and the opportunities for its use across many food categories will expand and grow. Soy proteins will continue to be a popular choice in new formulations - offering stellar protein quality and impactful functional properties. it is also a nutritional powerhouse, providing all nine essential amino acids required by the human body.

The future of plant-based protein innovation

The food and beverage industry is witnessing a remarkable shift as plant-based proteins continue to drive new product development. Pea, soy, and wheat proteins, in addition to new and innovative blends in plant-based concentrates, are revolutionising formulations - enhancing texture, nutritional value, and functionality across a wide range of applications.

While challenges such as taste, texture, and processing complexities remain, advancements in ingredient science and processing technologies mean that the industry is slowly overcoming these hurdles.

The increasing demand for sustainable, allergen-friendly, and high-performance plant proteins will continue to propel the industry forward, opening the door to even more sophisticated, consumer-centric innovations.

By leveraging cutting-edge formulation techniques and strategic ingredient combinations, manufacturers can create next-generation plant-based products that meet evolving consumer tastes, nutrition, and sustainability expectations.

For information on the ACI Group’s range of alternative proteins, please visit www.acigroup.com for more insights.