Move over pea protein, welcome watermelon and pumpkin seeds
Ingredients supplier Prinova is preparing to launch its range of ‘smooth proteins’ in Europe, made from watermelon seeds, pumpkin seeds, and mung beans.
According to Michael Robbins, Prinova technical sales associate for nutrition, the range was developed in response to textural challenges with conventional plant-based proteins.
“What we’ve seen within the last few years, is a big rise in vegan proteins. But, they have been standardised under soy protein, pea protein, and rice protein,” Robbins told FoodNavigator at FiE in Paris this month.
“The issue we have found with those, especially in applications such as protein shakes or ready-to-drink beverages, is that they have a lot of issues with mouthfeel and texture.”
Prinova itself markets pea, soy and rice proteins, yet told this publication that rice protein can be ‘quite grainy’, and ‘can quite often have an earthy taste’.
The company’s range of smooth proteins aims to minimise these textural disadvantages. The new line includes hydrolysed protein from watermelon seeds, pumpkin seeds, and mung beans.
All these sources have a high protein content, varying from 70-85% protein, he elaborated. “This is a similar amount to what is found in rice protein or pea protein. So nutritionally, you don’t lose out.”
Further, the amino acid profile can also be attractive to those in the sports nutrition market. Mung bean protein, for example, has a high leucine content, which the sales associate said is ‘ideal’ for those wanting to build muscle.
Prinova will be marketing the smooth proteins as standalone products, as well as in blends with more conventional sources of plant-based protein. “We’ve seen that vegan blends are favoured over one vegetable protein product,” he continued. In that way, Robbins suggested blends can increase functionality while improving texture and moth feel.
The smooth protein range will have a higher price point than the company’s pea, soy, and rice proteins. The line is already on the market in the US and is expected to launch in Europe at the end of Q1 2020.
Image: GettyImages/Magone
