Sponsored Content
Use plant protein concentrate for science-based sustainability interview with Maurizio Decio, CEO, Alojas Formulating plant-based products with protein concentrate, rather than isolate, is the most sustainable choice according to life cycle assessments, says Latvian supplier Alojas. “By 2050 if we go on as we are currently, there won’t be enough food to feed 10 billion people,” said Alojas CEO, Maurizio Decio. “We need to look and rethink the way we eat and produce food. We are not against animal ingredients because there are some animal-based ingredients that are relatively sustainable; what we are doing is trying to minimise the impact on the environment with the products we produce more sustainably in a measurable way.” Maurizio Decio CEO Alojas
Alojas says it takes a science-based approach to its portfolio, producing ingredients and solutions that it can prove to be sustainable based on objective parameters such as life cycle assessments.
In keeping with this core principle of sustainable business, the Latvian company decided to produce and supply plant protein concentrate, rather than isolate, due to the milder production process that consumes less water and energy. “To extract the protein from pea or fava or other agricultural commodities, [you can use] a wet process. This is the most successful process to produce relatively high-purity plant protein but it consumes 15 times the weight of pea in water, uses chemicals, and then uses energy for drying,” the CEO explained. “The amount of water that an isolate factory consumes is enormous. We didn’t go for that process for this reason, we went for a dry process […] where you mill, use air to separate, and the ingredient is ready.” Maurizio Decio said major food manufacturers are increasingly moving away from protein isolate because its energy and water footprint is not in line with consumer reasons for choosing plant-based products in the first place, noting that it is very difficult to find life cycle assessments for protein isolate production.
Food Academy investment Alojas recently invested in a food academy where it helps customers with their product development, including how to seamlessly switch from isolate to concentrate. “[The dry process] gives you a product that has between 50 and 60% protein. You need to know how to use it because it contains a significant quantity of starch and fibre, so we help our customers to use it in their products. If you teach the customer to use it, the advantage in sustainability is unmatched. In many applications, the use of concentrate doesn’t make much difference when compared to the use isolates.”
12 | More insights on Fi Global insights
