iConnectHub

Login/Register

WeChat

For more information, follow us on WeChat

Connect

For more information, contact us on WeChat

Email

You can contact us info@ringiertrade.com

Phone

Contact Us

86-21 6289-5533 x 269

Suggestions or Comments

86-20 2885 5256

Top

Tech breakthrough in pea-based protein

Source:FoodPacific Manufacturing Journal Release Date:2023-03-09 911
Food, Beverage & Personal CareFood & BeverageFood & Beverage Ingredients
Add to Favorites
Interview with Christine Lewington, CEO of PIP International

With the growing interest in meatless products and vegan food, plant-based ingredients are the next-best sources of sustainable protein. Ongoing concerns over animal welfare, fish declines, climate change, and food security make these ingredients among the heroes in the production of future foods.


Recently, PIP International shared the news that it had “cracked the code” in plant-based proteins. The ag-tech company located in Canada’s prairies, has actually discovered a new sustainable scientific method that produces an affordable, all-natural plant-based pea protein. Its product has so much potential that it has already garnered support from the Canadian government and interest from South Korea, while 39 private companies to date have also entered or are negotiating contracts with the company to use its product.


In June, it received $1 million from the Alberta government towards a $20-million pea-processing pilot facility in Lethbridge and the company said it also plans to start construction on a $150-million processing facility by the end of the year. Besides using a more sustainable extraction process, the company’s production is scalable to 126,000 tonnes per year of yellow peas, which would be the highest capacity of any facility in the world.


Lewington1 - Copy.JPG


FoodPacific Manufacturing Journal talked to PIP International’s CEO Christine Lewington to know more.


Please tell us how PIP’s work supports food manufacturing globally?

PIP International is an Ag-Tech company that has combined several cutting edge sustainable and process technologies from across the globe to further enhance the commercialisation of the new plant-protein extraction technology. The strategic innovative combination of supporting energy technologies built specifically for a food processing facility will provide a next level of operational excellence in the food manufacturing global industry.


PIP is working with two large South Korean companies that are seeking to replace the soy protein with PIP’s Ultimate Pea Protein called UP.P™, while in Japan, the company has partnered with two protein shake supplement companies.


How was the new protein developed, from concept to finished product?

First, PIP’s protein, called UP.P™, is a “Protein Like No Other™” and comes in a powder form classified as a ‘protein isolate’. This means that the powder contains pea protein and amino acids at greater than 80% purity.

Second, UP.P™ was developed originally as a concept in a lab in France. PIP has taken the lab bench scale concept and scaled it up to a large pilot scale continuous process. The next steps are to further scale up to a large industrial processing finished product.


Could you explain the scientific method/breakthrough that PIP has discovered, and how this will benefit the food industry?

Yes, PIP’s scientific method is based on using a gentler method and focusing on ensuring that an excellent environment for the proteins is priority versus others that focus on the starch and fibre extraction.


Protein is approximately 20% of the pea, with the remaining 75% being mainly starch and fibre. PIP’s gentler more  sustainable method enables an extraction process that allows the proteins to remain closer to their natural state and not be damaged through the extraction stage.


The amount of time and pressure that PIP’s proteins experience is significantly less than other standard processes, which results in our clean tasting, high functioning and neutral colour protein.


So, the benefits to the food industry are exponential as now manufacturers can provide great tasting plant-based alternatives that function and taste like iconic brands that consumers have come to love.  The consumers are tired of the poor tasting plant-based options. PIP now provides food manufacturers and food developers a very high functioning (solubility, gelling, texture, foaming) and neutral tasting base protein to develop new products or fix existing products with.


How is this ingredient different from other pea proteins?

UP.P™ first and foremost provides a neutral taste without the use of any masking ingredients. It is not bitter, like other pea proteins are widely known for.


Second, UP.P™ has no odour. It does not retain that “pea smell” that continues to permeate most pea protein based products.


Then third, UP.P™ presents a smooth texture. The grainy and gritty mouth feel from other pea proteins turns off consumers.


What are the applications for this pea protein?

UP.P™ can be applied to a diverse range of products; from alternative meats, to alternative dairy to confectionary and beverages. PIP is focused on the alternative dairy industry due to the demand for clean taste and high functionality required to gain consumers’ acceptance.


Although PIP is a B2B ingredient supplier, PIP has developed a vegan fudge, ice cream, cracker and cheese spread that are incredible for our company to enjoy and share when visitors come to visit us at PIP!


Add to Favorites
You May Like