Protinnov

Due to consumers’ increased awareness of healthier, more sustainable products, the demand for plant protein-based foods and beverages is also increasing significantly. In addition, due to increased consumer interest in ingredients, nutritional labeling through labels such as Nutriscore and Yuka is gaining importance. However, the use of plant-based raw materials also poses some challenges: On the one hand, the sensory quality of many products is compromised by off-flavors that either originate from the raw material itself or are created due to thermal loads during processing. In addition, many consumers expect plant-based alternatives to be very similar to dairy and meat products in terms of flavor, texture, color and nutritional value. However, these characteristics can usually only be met by the use of numerous additives, which in turn contradicts the consumer desire for "clean label" products. This problem of currently available products could significantly affect the continued growth of this market segment in the medium to long term.

The aim of the project is to simultaneously improve the organoleptic and functional properties as well as the nutritional value of sustainable and readily available pea protein-based ingredients. This will be achieved by elucidating and targeting biopolymer interactions of pea-derived proteins and polysaccharides and functionalizing them by non-thermal processes. Protinnov’s goal is to obtain improved, protein-rich food ingredients from regionally grown peas that enable the minimization of additives in food production.

Key technologies are high pressure homogenization and high hydrostatic pressure, where high pressure is applied to improve the physicochemical and sensory properties of pea-based products. These processes will be compared with a conventional thermal process – extrusion – to investigate the influence on the quality of pea-based food ingredients. The feasibility of the developed processes as well as their range of applications will be demonstrated using different model food products (desserts, beverages, meat or cheese alternatives). Thus, the pre-competitive and collaborative project enables the use of local plant raw materials for sustainable food and strengthens regional producers.