Plant Protein May Be the Future

In January 2019, DuPont Nutrition & Health, in conjunction with Health Focus International, released a report on changing trends in plant-based diets in the U.S., interviewing more than 1,000 U.S. consumers about their eating habits. The results show that 52% of U.S. consumers prefer plant-sourced foods and beverages, and almost 60% of respondents said the shift to a plant-based diet would be permanent; a stark case in point is that consumers who once chose protein powders with whey as the main ingredient are gradually favoring plant-based sources, such as pea-sourced or rice-sourced, among others.

Soy Protein

Soy products are touted as having the highest plant protein content, making them a major food source of protein supplementation for vegans. Soy is rich in plant proteins that fulfill the body's functional needs and isoflavones, amino acids, and many other health benefits. In terms of amino acid content, soy protein is the only plant protein reported to contain the nine essential amino acids required by the human body to meet the human body's needs and is recognized as a full-valent protein.

Drinks made with soy protein are known as "green milk" by nutritionists. Soy protein is effective in reducing high cholesterol in people with high cholesterol. Soy protein drinks are easier to digest and absorb than milk. Milk in the stomach easily forms large and hard lumps, while soy milk in the stomach is formed into small slices, and is fluffy, not hard, which can make it easier to digest and absorb.

The New Stars of Plant-Based Protein: Peas, Hemp and Quinoa

Pea protein ranks first among the plant-based protein ingredients currently on the market, followed by rice protein and soy protein. By passing the controversies of soy protein's "genetic modification" and allergic origins, pea protein has the upper hand both in terms of health and sustainability. In addition, hemp and quinoa proteins offer a diverse and comprehensive amino acid profile and will be potential plant-based proteins.

Pea Protein

Peas are the second largest edible legume crop, and about 65 countries in the world produce peas. China's annual pea production is about 1.6 million tons, accounting for about 9% of the world's total pea production. Pea protein is an important part of peas, its a biomass value of 48% to 64%, an efficacy ratio of 0.6 to 1.2, is not easy to allergy, and has a high nutritional value. The amino acid ratio of pea protein is more balanced, and the content of the other 7 essential amino acids except methionine is close to the value of the FAO/WHO recommended pattern, which is easy to digest and absorb, meanwhile, the content of lysine is high, which is a good source of protein.

Pea protein powder can be used as a nutritional fortifier added to cereals, such as bread, cake, hanging noodles, and nutritious rice flour, and can also be used as a meat substitute added to ham sausage, red sausage, and other Western-style meat products. At present, pea protein has a large market, mainly used in the production of protein powder, solid drinks, energy bars, plant protein drinks, plant meat and other fields.

Hemp Protein

Hemp seed is the seed of Cannabis sativa, a plant of the mulberry family, which has a long history of cultivation in China. The protein content of hemp seed is 20%～25%, which is a high quality protein source. Hemp protein is rich in a variety of amino acids, of which the human body contains all the essential 8 amino acids, and the content is high, reasonable, and balanced, in line with the requirements of "high quality complete protein". In addition, hemp protein can supply all the edible amino acids needed by the human body, which fully meets all the needs of the body to produce the main components of blood plasma (albumin and globulin), which is essential for the maintenance of human health.

Quinoa Protein

Quinoa protein is mainly composed of albumin and globulin (44% to 77% of the total protein), with a low content of alcohol-soluble proteins and glutenins, so quinoa protein is well soluble and easily absorbed and utilized. Due to the role of disulfide bonds, quinoa protein has good stability, so when processing and utilization of quinoa, quinoa protein can well maintain its original characteristics and nutritional value.