The functional beverage category is growing, as is consumer demand for plant-based beverages. Plant-based proteins can help producers in various product categories, including dairy, make the most of these two trends, potentially leading to opportunities with entirely new audiences. The challenge is finding the ingredient with the right balance between taste, texture, nutrition and flexibility. Sunflower protein, with its natural flexibility and the capability to use it in anything from functional beverages to hybrid products, could be the answer.
With many plant-based ingredients, producers often need to compromise in at least one area of the final product, whether that’s the colour, the additional ingredients needed to find the right texture, the equipment required for production or the flavour profile that doesn’t quite meet consumer expectations.
Sunflower protein removes all of these concerns and barriers while offering a host of additional benefits. Discover why you should be considering this innovative ingredient.
Many producers will already have most, if not all of the equipment required to implement sunflower protein. The only differences may be in adding enzyme treatment to a mixing process, or raising the pressure in homogenization, but these are relatively small changes that can result in an expanded product range and, ultimately, the potential to boost profitability.
“There’s room for the beverage industry to offer plant-based protein products with bigger benefits,” says Ronnie Kragh Enggaard, Product Development Leader for EMEA at Tetra Pak. “Many plant-based beverages now contain relatively low protein, and basically no fibre, so there’s the opportunity with sunflower protein to make something different, and the process to get started can be simple.”
Sunflower protein has a neutral, slightly nutty taste, and an off-white colouring. These attributes mean it can be used to create anything from iced coffee to yoghurt, and in addition, the dosing range is equally flexible allowing for anything from 2% to 7%, so recipes can be tailored to the specific needs of the products.
There’s also flexibility more generally – it can be used as a base ingredient for a plant-based functional beverage, or as an addition to a dairy product to make a hybrid offering with unique properties.
“The flexibility of sunflower protein means the products made can appeal to a variety of consumers,” explains Enggaard. “For example, plant-based products are often seen as more premium in Europe, so this ingredient could easily be used for a premium functional plant-based beverage. On the other hand, it’s a more affordable protein than dairy alternatives, so could be used to make a hybrid product that offers less expensive nutrition.”
With 50% protein and 21% fibre content in addition to a variety of vitamins and antioxidants, sunflower protein has a nutritional profile that can be used to offer real functional benefits. This is especially appealing when 74% of people actively look for products with health claims1 and 88% are willing to pay more for healthy foods2.
This means it’s an ingredient that’s not only ideal for functional beverages, but can be added to other products to offer functional benefits, like natural amounts of fibre.
“Being able to offer native fibres and good levels of protein in plant-based products is good for health-conscious consumers,” says Enggaard, “and it allows producers to offer something new. With fibre, you need to achieve a certain dosage for it to be enough, and that’s straightforward with sunflower protein.”
Nutritional benefits are only useful if the nutrition itself can be absorbed effectively. For some ingredients, protein absorption can be very low, but in sunflower protein the body absorbs 98% - so for every 100 g of protein, your body will absorb 98 g.
Digestibility is one thing, but if the taste and texture don’t appeal to consumers, the products won’t be a success. Thankfully, the smooth texture and somewhat neutral taste mean that sunflower protein is optimal for a range of products, as it’s easy to add flavouring like vanilla, strawberry or chocolate, without the flavour of the protein itself overpowering anything.
Some proteins require chemical processes to produce the powder, or at least wetting, heating and drying processes which can be energy intensive. The process to make sunflower protein powder is the opposite – it’s entirely clean and mechanical, with no need for additional chemicals. This method is energy efficient with low carbon emissions and water consumption, and it also means the final product is consistent in its quality. This simple production process, as well as the fact that sunflowers are easy to grow and maintain, mean that it’s an affordable ingredient too.
It’s time to innovate with ingredients
With growing demand, and consumers more willing than ever to try new kinds of plant-based and hybrid products, there couldn’t be a better time to develop innovative products using sunflower protein. Best of all, getting started is easy, and we can help you every step of the way.
1) Ipsos for Tetra Pak Quantitative Survey on Health & Nutrition 2023 (Brazil, US, China, India, South Korea, Kenya, South Africa, Germany, Spain, UK)
2) Nielsen’s 2015 Global Health & Wellness Survey - CleanEating WGSN 2016