Unlocking Plant Protein Potential: How To Reinvent Plant Protein To Boost Consumer Adoption

Romain Joly, Global Head of Proteins Business Line at Roquette

Introduction

The demand for plant-based proteins has been on the rise as consumers seek sustainable and animal-free food options. Initially driven by animal welfare concerns, the focus has now shifted towards sustainability and nutrition. The plant-based food industry has taken various product design directions, with dairy alternatives and plant-based meats being developed to cater to changing consumer needs. Innovation in protein ingredients and processing is key to reinventing food with plant-based proteins. Roquette is strongly committed to providing the right technical functionalities and ensuring quality standards are met by offering new plant-based protein solutions. However, the industry also faces challenges such as evolving regulations, geopolitical tensions, and trade cases that can quickly reshape the dynamics of the plant protein market. So, how can we navigate this evolving context to stay ahead of the curve? How can we imagine a world where our food choices combine what our bodies need, what our senses want, and what the earth can sustain? This is Roquette's vision.

Can we reinvent food thanks to plant proteins?

The interest in plant-based proteins has been driven by consumer expectations to have access to food that does not come from animal sources. Dairy alternatives were not initially protein-driven and developed their own plant-based taste (e.g., almond, oat). However, nutrition and protein content are becoming increasingly important. We help our customers develop new dairy alternatives with more proteins and functionalities.

On the other hand, plant-based meat has been focusing on mimicking animal meat in all aspects. We continue to support our customers with performing proteins (isolate and textured proteins). However, we see new approaches in terms of formulation with the aim to provide nutritious dishes that do not mimic meat. This is interesting in terms of creativity, flavors, and texture. Our proteins are used differently in these applications.

Lastly, we must not forget all sweet applications (bakery, snacks) where protein enrichment is key to get this specific claim. Plant-based protein powders are also available, and these are new ways to feed yourself, not just for sports nutrition but for all active people.

How about new protein ingredients?

Innovation is key to reinventing food with plant-based proteins or improving current plant-based food. Innovation related to protein ingredients relies on two main levers.

"With increasing consumer demand for sustainable and animal-free food options, there is a growing market for innovative protein ingredients and processing."

Processing: Beyond providing nutrients, we aim to provide protein ingredients that fit in different food matrices. Protein ingredients should bring the right technical functionalities and be appreciated by consumers. For that, we act on our process to obtain the right features such as solubility, emulsion, and gelling. As an example, we have launched three new ingredients: Nutralys® T Pea 700FL textured protein bringing high fibrousness for plant-based meat,  Nutralys® H85 pea protein hydrolysate with higher solubility and Nutralys® Pea F853M, a pea protein with higher gelling capacity. All these innovations allow our customers to improve their product development.

Raw materials: Pea protein is now a leading plant protein along with wheat gluten and soy protein, thanks to its unique value: it is not a major allergen, is readily available, and has good sustainability credentials. We are continuously investigating other raw materials that could provide interesting proteins. There is a lot of activity on mycelium, precision fermentation, and upcycling, which are likely to bring complementary proteins to the market. On our side, we will introduce a new plant protein isolate this year, and we already foresee some key interest in targeted food applications!

All that while still coping with evolving high standards…

Innovation must not come at the expense of quality standards, should they be in terms of food safety, consistency of product batch to batch, nutritional values, contaminants, etc. It is evident that plant proteins are affected by the variation of the crop quality year-on-year in terms of yield or protein richness for example. From that perspective, it remains a constant challenge to guarantee a very stable protein content to ease the life of customers that have designed their recipe and flavor compound around a specific grade and protein level. The growth of plant proteins demand implies mathematically a larger acreage of crops which are still very recent compared to more conventional crops like corn or wheat. So, we must support farmers in their choices, foster crop rotation, and commit to support acreage extension while ensuring stringent quality requirements (traceability, use of pesticides, etc.).

…and the plant protein market facing important challenges (Antidumping, strengthening organic regulations…)

In addition, some major changes in regulations, geopolitical tensions and trade cases can quickly reshape the face of plant protein dynamics. This is the case for peas where Russia became the number 1 producer in the world. An important agreement was signed with China in late 2022 affecting other countries’ exports like Canada. Trade cases like antidumping proceedings are also closing doors to unfair trade practices while new rules like the USDA’s National Organic Program help guarantee strong organic material traceability. Those challenges are not to be underestimated by the industry.

Still a bright future for plant proteins

Despite the challenges faced by the protein industry, there is still a bright future for plant-based proteins. With increasing consumer demand for sustainable and animal-free food options, there is a growing market for innovative protein ingredients and processing. At Roquette, we continue to explore new raw materials and develop new products as pioneers in the development of plant-based food that is simultaneously nutritious, appealing, and sustainable. There is an exciting opportunity for food manufacturers to lead the way in reinventing food with plant-based proteins. The future of proteins is promising, and we are committed to staying at the forefront of this rapidly evolving industry to create together a new era of food experiences.