Equinom Breaks Protein Content Record in Minimally Processed Pea Protein

Food tech company Equinom has broken industry records, announcing it has achieved 75 percent protein content in its pea protein - breaking its own previous record of 70 percent.

These levels were achieved in an exploratory minimally processed pea protein ingredient that is being developed with the aim of pushing the boundaries of protein content in sustainable plant-based foods. Equinom bred new varieties of yellow peas using its Manna platform - a technology that identifies desirable traits for food applications in the genetic structure of seeds and predicts the optimum cross-breeding matches to yield better varieties without genetic engineering.

Commercially available pea protein isolates have traditionally relied on wet-fractionation, a processing system that uses chemicals, water, and energy to extract protein. Equinom’s in-house trial used only dry-fractionation, which is significantly more sustainable and cost-effective, as it uses only milling and air to mechanically separate the protein from the pea.

The company stated that there is no other pea protein ingredient currently on the market that equals this protein content level without the use of chemical processing. In addition to record-breaking protein content, this ingredient also offers food functionality such as emulsification, foaming, and gelation of a pea protein isolate, but with the high solubility and color of a concentrate. More on this story