Plant proteins, new ingredients for healthy and sustainable foods

What was the challenge or problem to solve?

Healthy ingredients with vegetable proteins and as a whole, healthy foods, are more and more demanded by the population in recent years. However, it is sometimes difficult to find processed foods with fully healthy and sustainable ingredients.

The client was interested in improving their products and improving their formulation. The reformulation was proposed by replacing ingredients that provided animal protein with vegetable ingredients with high protein content.

For this purpose, a state-of-the-art review of the available alternatives was carried out.

Plant proteins, new ingredients for healthy and sustainable foods
Plant proteins, new ingredients for healthy and sustainable foods

How was it addressed or what was the solution?

Thanks to the previous experience in alternative protein sources, the Food Innovation and Technology team worked offering its knowledge and capabilities for the introduction of new products in the market, or reformulation of existing ones, from a healthier paradigm and always adapting to new food trends and consumer needs.

Legume derivatives were selected – due to their high protein, dietary fiber and bioactive compounds content – to increase the nutritional quality of the final product.

Subsequently, the food was processed, and the final quality of the product was studied. The aim was to achieve physical, chemical and sensory properties similar to the original product, increasing its nutritional quality.

Challenge

  • Processing of vegetable ingredients to obtain product
  • Obtaining a product with improved quality from the sensory and nutritional point of view.

Solution

  • Substitution of animal protein source by vegetable ingredients.
  • Improved final product quality