Bringing taste and texture to active nutrition [Interview]

“Tendra is a highly functional and taste-neutral plant-based protein, sourced from fava beans that are cultivated in Europe. We extract the protein using a proprietary processing method, and end up with a protein isolate that delivers not only on neutral taste and texture, but also offers high solubility and excellent emulsification properties.”

“The key reason is market growth. Plant-based sports nutrition has gained in popularity over the last couple of years, and consumers in general are increasingly incorporating plant-based protein sources. Adding protein to your diet is now mainstream – you only need to look at the number of products highlighting high protein content on supermarket shelves.

“So, this trend of mainstreaming protein has inevitably influenced the sports nutrition segment. You still get pure protein shakes targeted at serious athletes, but there is now a wider range of products, targeted at a wider range of consumers. And in order to reach these mainstream consumers, your products need to taste good.”

“We believe that the biggest limiting factor for reaching mainstream consumers in the active nutrition space is taste. A lot of plant-based protein shakes and other similar products simply don’t taste good. We have also noticed that many plant proteins – because of their poor solubility – can lead to sensory defects in products such as graininess and a lack of smoothness.

“Furthermore, because plant proteins in general possess lower emulsifying and foaming functionality than milk proteins, this can also limit their effectiveness and therefore applicability in many active nutrition formulations.”

“We really see ourselves as a viable third way for formulators. On the market today, you have your whey-based protein shakes, and then you have your traditional plant-based protein shakes, sourced from soy, pea and rice. We consider ourselves as being in the middle, offering something that is plant-based, but which is also much closer to being milk-based in terms of flavour, creamy sensation, things like that. And for formulators, it is important to note that Tendra also offers high solubility and excellent emulsification properties.

“Another thing to consider is that consumers are increasingly conscious of issues such as sustainability. Fava beans produce less CO2 per kilogramme of protein than other crops including wheat, pea and soy. Fava beans are also one of the world's most powerful nitrogen fixers. Once they have flowered and produced beans, the plant releases nitrogen into the soil.

“We think that it is this combination of factors that makes Tendra unique. In addition, the fava bean, from which Tendra is sourced, contains a relatively high amount of lysine – adding fava bean to your diet can therefore improve your overall lysine intake.”

“We are very excited to be attending Vitafoods Europe this year, and are looking forward to meeting up with producers and end users of protein shakes and other products. We want to show what we have to offer. We are excited because this is just the beginning, and our initial interactions with the active nutrition industry have been incredibly positive.

“So really, our main objective at Vitafoods Europe will be to get the message out there, that there is a viable plant-based protein option on the market that delivers on taste and functionality. We’ll be inviting everyone attending to come by our stand, to taste our product, and to find out for themselves.”