Reliable alternatives to dairy proteins

All this explains why vegan meat-, milk- and egg-free diets are now espoused not only by vegans and vegetarians but also by meat-reducers; by people with special dietary needs (arising, for instance, from ethnic/religious rules or from dairy protein allergies or lactose intolerance); and by the nutrition-conscious. Soy protein-based foods and drinks are commonly used as an alternative to dairy, while new opportunities in this field are emerging from the development of products based on other vegetable sourced proteins, such as pea proteins.

Roquette is the world leader in pea-derived ingredients for food. These include a complete range of pea proteins known as NUTRALYS®. NUTRALYS® comes with a variety of functional and physical properties, some of which are particularly relevant to the production of dairy-like products.

The pea protein in NUTRALYS® is highly purified (85% as dry matter) and is obtained from a sustainable source, the yellow dried pea.

Based on clean processing procedures, NUTRALYS® pea protein:

• Is suitable for “all-natural, all-vegetable” dairy formulations.
• Is non-GMO and not a major allergen.
• Is an affordable source of protein.
• Displays technological properties ideal for dairy-like product processing.
• Possesses the emulsifying properties and viscosity necessary for a creamy texture.

Until now, the main restriction on the use of vegetable proteins has been their taste – this can vary slightly, depending on botanical origin, but it has always had a persistently unattractive odour and a so-called « green » (or vegetable) sensory note. As a result of continuous research and improvement, NUTRALYS® S85F (containing 85% protein) overcomes this drawback. The origin of the undesirable “green” note is linked to certain naturally- present volatile molecules, such as hexanal.  Roquette technology has made it possible to exclude these, from raw material to isolated protein.