What’s new in protein powders? 1024 512 admin-pyc

What’s new in protein powders?

The R&D team in charge of the formulation of the protein products answers to us.
Interview with:
– Dominique THIERY, who has been responsible for the formulation of high protein powder products for more than 20 years.
-William LAURENCE, in charge of protein applications for nearly 20 years.

High protein milk-shakes, pancakes, desserts continue to be top sellers at PYC, your secret?

When developing our products, we try to stay close to the appearance and taste of the corresponding common foodstuffs. As the protein content is very high in protein sachets, the choice of the most suitable protein for the application being worked on is of prime importance due to its high impact in the finished product.

Each protein source has specific technical properties to be understood for the correct use of the products: stability, thickness, transparency, solubility, taste…
For example, some kinds of milk proteins are better suited to the creation of sour fruity drinks, others to hot drinks and soups and still others, with their creamy texture, are suitable for desserts.
Egg proteins, on the other hand, are often used in pan-frying or baking applications.
The use of plant proteins, generally more typical in taste, gives good results in salty applications but also in some sweet flavours with matching aromas.

Thus, the combination of proteins with other ingredients such as flavours and spices, thickeners, fruit or vegetable powders, allows the creation of varied recipes.

Some formulations require the combination of several protein sources to obtain more complex products: mousses, crêpes, pancakes, bread or pastries to bake, etc. (William Laurence)

By searching for the most accurate possible aromatic mixes and sometimes by adding attractive visual ingredients (chocolate chips, croutons, noodles, …), we aim to make protein powders enjoyable for consumers.

Laboratoire PYC, with its experience in the formulation of protein products, has developed over the years a solid expertise in the knowledge of ingredients and their various interactions (William Laurence).

What future for high protein products?

Market trends show that protein fortification remains a strong value in product launches.

Proteins will always be relevant for sportsmen and women, seniors and people who want to lose weight (Dominique Thiery).

At Laboratoire PYC, ready-to-eat protein products have for several years now joined the range of powder sachets and are becoming increasingly popular. Powder preparations, due to their particularly high protein intake and low carbohydrate and lipid content, are still preferred for strict diets.

As with everyday food products, protein-rich products must continue to adapt to regulatory changes and consumer expectations, both in terms of new flavours and their composition: trends towards greater transparency and naturalness, flexitarism…

What do you think of the rising trend in plant proteins?

This vegetal trend is effective and follows the same trend as observed for everyday consumer products. At Laboratoire PYC we have been sourcing ingredients in this way for several years (Dominique Thiery).

Soy, pea and wheat proteins were used first, but other sources have emerged such as rice and pumpkin proteins.

There are now also potato, hemp and leguminous flour proteins, although the latter are relatively less concentrated in protein than the isolates historically used by Laboratoire PYC.

As for milk proteins, when developing a reference with plant proteins, the ingredients added will be chosen to improve the flavour of the product as much as possible. Some aromatic mixes now exist to help “mask” the off-notes that plant proteins may present, by acting on the taste buds to attenuate their perception.

Manufacturers of plant-based proteins are currently making great efforts to improve the taste and texture of their ingredients, by working on extraction processes. We are closely monitoring these developments because, due to the high protein levels targeted in our products, the use of the tasteless vegetal proteins is of course a priority.

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