Chickpea Protein Debuts at IFT, First to Be Available in Commercial Scale, Firms Say

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A chickpea protein ingredient is making its IFT debut from developer Nutriati Inc. (Richmond, VA) and commercialization partner PLT Health Solutions (Morristown, NJ). The companies say Artesa chickpea protein is the first chickpea-based protein concentrate to be available in commercial quantities.

Artesa is said to sidestep some of the challenges formulating with plant proteins, including taste and texture challenges, and in fact is said to “approach the sensory and formulating experience of dairy proteins.” Nutriati’s proprietary manufacturing process removes over 99% of oil in the ingredient, which the company says helps improve taste and stability. It says Artesa’s production process, including fractionization and milling, was designed to maximize taste, texture, and mouthfeel.

Thanks to its small, uniform particle size, Artesa offers enhanced dissolution and suspendability and excellent foaming and emulsifying properties, the companies say, including in higher-pH beverages that often create sedimentation challenges for plant proteins. It has high water-binding capacity compared to other plant proteins, the firms say. In low-moisture applications such as bakery products, the small particle size can also lower the viscosity of formulations. In fact, the companies say that this “very small and highly uniform particle size that allows [Artesa] to function like dairy proteins in food, supplement, and beverage applications.”

Artesa comprises a minimum protein content of 60%. It also has a fiber content of 14%, which the companies say is quite high in general for any protein source. It is suited for snacks, beverages, bakery products, and more.

Manufacturing for Artesa takes place in the United States, and chickpeas are sourced from the United States and Canada. Nutriati’s production process for Artesa is said to be protected by intellectual property because it differs from the process used to create other plant proteins, including in terms of the amount of water involved. Chickpeas are also said to offer good sustainability, with the companies noting they require less chemical fertilizers, water, and pesticides to produce.

According to Nutriati cofounder and chief innovation officer Michael Spinelli, in a press release, “We have found that recipes featuring Artesa chickpea protein can meet or even surpass gold standard formulations for taste, texture, and other sensory aspects in a range of product applications. We have also found that people can up the boundaries of protein delivered per serving over anything that has been possible with plant-based ingredients with Artesa and still meet consumer expectations for organoleptics.”