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Speciality ingredient solution provider Ingredion has launched a new pea protein optimised for cold-pressed bars.

The solution, named ‘VitEssence Pea 100 HD’, helps manufacturers to maintain the softness of cold-pressed bars throughout shelf life, providing preferred texture and sensory attributes and adding nutritional value.

“Consumers want soft, smooth textures and balanced taste,” Ingredion said in a statement. “Yet soy, whey and other plant proteins pose challenges. Generally, bars become harder over the products’ shelf life and gritty, powdery, dry and chalky textures are common, reducing the desirability of the bar.”

VitEssence Pea 100 HD delivers a minimum of 84% protein on a dry basis and functions like whey or soy protein with softness through shelf life in cold-pressed bars. Ingredion’s proprietary process ensures a consistently functional product with fewer texture changes and desired sensory attributes for cold-pressed bars.

The protein is non-hydrolysed, minimising bitter tastes and providing a cleaner label – this reduces negative consumer connotations while performing like a hydrolysed protein for smooth texture.

Tara Kozlowich, director of global segment marketing, healthful solutions protein fortification at Ingredion, said: “Ingredion identified key consumer drivers such as taste, texture and sensory attributes in the sports and nutrition bar space. Understanding these preference drivers drove the development and launch of the plant protein. Our objective was to reach and maintain low levels of hardness in cold-pressed bars to keep smooth and creamy textures intact from the first bite to the last – throughout the product’s shelf life – without compromising nutrition or the eating experience.”

Ingredion compared VitEssence Pea 100 HD to other protein sources in accelerated shelf-life and sensory studies. The technical experts from Ingredion’s innovation centres developed a cold-pressed bar model system and swapped competitive protein sources one-for-one. They also assessed the same model system against commercially available bars, using a third-party survey to gauge consumer preference.

Michael Valenti, manager, global innovation business lead of healthful solutions protein fortification at Ingredion, added: “VitEssence Pea 100 HD showed desirable and predictably stable softness over shelf life and among pea protein competitors measured, had low pulse flavour and significantly lower chalky/gritty mouthfeel. In testing versus commercially available bars, consumers preferred the Ingredion cold-pressed bar prototype with VitEssence Pea 100 HD.”

VitEssence Pea 100 HD is free of major food allergens and can help reduce the carbon footprint and blue water usage in cold pressed bars when replacing whey isolate.

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