Today, Protein Industries Canada announced an investment into a project that it said will lead to the development of new, high-protein pulse-based ingredients for the non-dairy beverage market.
GrainFrac Inc., Tomtene Seed Farm of Saskatchewan and Ripple Foods PBC are partnering to develop and utilize specialized dry processing technology patented by GrainFrac. This technology will process pulses chosen and supplied by Tomtene Seed Farm into fine flours, whose starches and proteins will then be separated in order to extract as much protein as possible into concentrates and isolates. Ripple Foods plans to test these ingredients in 36 new beverage formulations, in response to the rising demand for plant-based dairy-alternative beverages.
Initial testing showed pea flour processed using the technology had a protein content almost nine per cent higher than that processed using a pin-milled method. The ingredients shown to have the highest protein content will be used in Ripple Foods’ formulations, as well as marketed to other processors and manufacturers outside of the partnership following the completion of the project.
“Consumers around the globe are looking for new alternatives to dairy beverages, and their demand for those products is rising quickly,” Protein industries Canada CEO Bill Greuel said. “GrainFrac, Tomtene Seed Farm and Ripple Foods will soon be providing them with new options, both here in Canada and in some of the world’s largest plant-based food markets, including the United States. And by utilizing Canadian-grown crops in their work, they’ll bring us closer to our goal of Canada becoming a global leader in plant based ingredients and food.”
The investment is expected to help both introduce new products to the market as well as scale up GrainFrac’s processing technology. This scale-up will help GrainFrac quantify the environmental benefits associated with the technology’s dry processing capabilities, including its reduction in water use.
Together, Protein Industries Canada, GrainFrac, Tomtene Seed Farm and Ripple Foods are investing $4.3 million into the project. Protein Industries Canada is committing half of the investment, with GrainFrac, Tomtene Seed Farms and Ripple Foods joining to commit the remaining half.
“We at Tomtene Seed Farm are extremely excited to be working with Proteins Industries Canada, GrainFrac and Ripple Foods to help develop this more effective technology of producing plant-based proteins,” Tomtene Seed Farm Owner Steve Tomtene said. “Our hope is that we can provide a seamless collaboration of skills and capacity to produce the most efficient, highest quality plant-based protein concentrates and isolates for the growing demand of specialized ingredients and plant-based proteins.”
This marks Protein Industries Canada’s 16th Technology project announcement. Together with industry, they’ve invested more than $320 million into Canada’s plant-protein sector. They are currently accepting Expressions of Interest for both their Technology and Capacity Building programs.
