Pea protein innovator PURIS has launched a new pea-derived carbohydrate ingredient that acts as a gummy binder and is part of sports nutrition formulations. PURIS has long been known for its pea breeding technology, which enables the creation of good-tasting pea protein.
The ingredient caught the attention of Cargill, which has so far invested $100 million to help PURIS increase its protein production capacity. With this investment, PURIS will have 3 facilities dedicated to the production of pea protein by the end of 2020. PURIS offers both non-GMO and organic options in terms of ingredients.
Pea Protein Market Potential
One problem with increasing organic feedstock yields in the U.S. is that farmland undergoes a three-year transition period, which is a financial burden on farmers. PURIS CEO Tyler Lorenzen said the peas could be grown as a cover crop or a rotation crop, and the company could use the existing organic acreage. While the company has its own processing facility, it has contracts with farmers to grow the raw material.
Since planting began, the area of organic crops has increased more than 20 times. Now that peas can be used as a rotation crop, there is no need to create more organic acreage, which is grown from Montana to Georgia. Just as PURIS uses the remaining potential of the existing organic acreage, it also uses the remaining potential of the peas themselves. At SSW 2019, PURIS showcased its new pea starch ingredient, which utilizes some of the beans left over from protein extraction.
One use of pea starch is as a binder in fudge recipes, allowing manufacturers to create a completely vegan fudge that cannot be done with traditional gelatin, which is derived from cows or other animals extracted from the bones. The new ingredient also has some cost advantages, said PURIS chief marketing officer John Getzinger. Pea starch is grown in the United States and is cheaper than tapioca starch, which needs to be imported from Asia or Africa.
Low GI Sports Nutrition Ingredients
PURIS is positioning one of the ingredient forms under the “Pea Starch RTE” label with the goal of developing sports nutrition formulas. This is a low glycemic index ingredient that can help support energy and recovery in athletes while avoiding blood sugar spikes. Athletes need carbohydrates to restore glycogen in their muscles, but they don’t want to eat foods that are hyperglycemic all the time.
Additionally, preliminary testing of this ingredient suggests that it may satisfy consumers’ desire to promote ketosis or fat burning. Preliminary tests have shown that pea starch has a low glycemic response, which may be a way to get carbohydrates, but there is still a long way to go in this regard.
Environmental benefits of pea farming
At the same time as the introduction of new raw materials, PURIS once again emphasized the environmental image of peas. Growers have known since the Middle Ages that using peas as a rotation crop improves the fertility of their fields. They didn’t know that the role of peas is to fix nitrogen in the soil, which all legumes do. Excess nitrogen, and often the use of too much fertilizer, can negatively impact waterways.
As early as more than 20 years ago, the famous Canadian ecologist Vaclav Smil had discovered the serious consequences of changes in the nitrogen cycle. Nitrogen-rich agricultural runoff stimulates algal overgrowth, one of the major contributors to marine dead zones observed in coastal waters around the world. The problem has accelerated in the 20 years since Smil first issued the warning.
Peas fix nitrogen by taking nitrogen from the air and converting it into usable fertilizer. A farmer who grows peas can add 70 pounds of nitrogen per acre, and peas can reduce the amount of nitrogen the farm needs. As nitrogen application is reduced, fertilizer runoff is also reduced, keeping waterways, lakes and oceans clean.