Protein is essential for health, and growing awareness of meat-sourcing practices and environmental impact has driven demand for plant-based proteins. The rise of veganism further supports this trend, making plant-based protein products a smart addition to any supplement line.
In this article, we’ll explore plant-based protein manufacturing by addressing key questions such as:
- What is plant-based protein?
- What market trends are driving the growth of the plant-based protein industry?
- What are the best sources of plant-based protein?
- How do testing and quality control fit into the process?
What Is Plant-Based Protein?
Plant-based proteins are derived from sources such as peas, rice, soy, and more. They are highly nutritious, offering essential nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
Here are a few major benefits of plant-based proteins:
- Rich in Fiber: Plant-based sources often contain fiber, which promotes healthy gut bacteria and supports digestive health. In particular, soluble fibers may offer heart health benefits.
- Antioxidants and Phytonutrients: Plant-derived proteins frequently provide antioxidants and phytonutrients that can enhance overall wellness. Some may also assist in healthy weight management.
- Cardiovascular Health: Research indicates that plant-based foods are associated with a greater outcome of cardiovascular health.
- Environmental Benefits: Plant-based sources are more environmentally friendly and less resource-intensive than animal-based foods, requiring less land and freshwater and producing fewer greenhouse gas emissions.
- Ethical Concerns: One of the most significant ethical benefits is the reduction in animal suffering. Plant-based diets avoid the need for factory farming, which often involves inhumane conditions for animals. Plant-based diets can contribute to global food justice by making food systems more equitable. Animal agriculture often requires large amounts of feed that could otherwise be used to directly feed humans.
What Are The Key Market Trends Driving Plant-Based Protein Industry Growth?
In 2024, the global size of the plant-based protein market is estimated to reach $16.05 billion, and is expected to reach $20.43 billion by 2029, growing at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.94% during the forecast period (2024-2029)1Plant Protein Market SIZE & SHARE ANALYSIS – GROWTH TRENDS & FORECASTS UP TO 2029. Mordor Intelligence. Retrieved October 18, 2024 from https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/global-plant-protein-market..
Pea protein is experiencing increased demand, too, with a CAGR of 7.61% during the forecast period. This growth is attributed to its quick rehydration capability, neutral flavor, and texturizing properties, which have boosted the sales of pea protein ingredients. Rising preferences for clean-label sports nutrition supplements, along with growing interest in gluten-free and vegan options, are driving demand for plant proteins in the supplements segment. Additionally, millennials are contributing to this trend by seeking healthier choices, particularly organic and plant-based foods2Plant-based Protein Market. Markets and Markets. Retrieved October 18, 2024 from https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/plant-based-protein-market-14715651.html.. Moreover, increasing disposable incomes are further fueling the demand for convenient and healthy products.
Ingredients Selection: What Are The Best Sources Of Plant-Based Protein?
Some of the best sources of plant-based protein include soy, peas, rice, and spirulina.
Soy Protein
The soybean and its many derivative products are staple foods in many Asian countries. In addition, it has long been one of the shining stars of the health-food scene. Although commonly used in tofu, soy can be found in many other forms, including burgers, hot dogs, bacon, sausage, and various meat substitutes. Additionally, soy protein is found in supplements and contains a valuable group of isoflavones.
Soy protein for cholesterol management
Research indicates that substituting soy protein for animal protein may help promote healthy cholesterol levels already within a normal range3Baum J, Teng H, Erdman JW Jr, Weigel RM, Klein BP, Persky VW, Freels S, Surya P, Bakhit RM, Ramos E, Shay NF, Potter SM. Long-term intake of soy protein improves blood lipid profiles and increases mononuclear cell low-density-lipoprotein receptor messenger RNA in hypercholesterolemic, postmenopausal women. Am J Clin Nutr 1998; 68:545-551., promoting a positive effect on the balance between HDL (the “good” cholesterol) and non-HDL (the “bad” cholesterol) compared to the group consuming casein. Similar results were found in a meta-analysis published in The New England Journal of Medicine which demonstrated a positive impact on total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglyceride levels.
Soy protein for bone density
A review4Scheiber MD, Rebar RW. Isoflavones and postmenopausal bone health: a viable alternative to estrogen therapy? Menopause 1999; 6(3):233-41. of interventional trials examining isoflavones and bone health in animals and humans suggest that including them in the diet can reduce bone resorption caused by estrogen deficiency. Bone density was measured twice during the study. The results showed significant increases in bone mineral content and density in the group consuming 90 mg of isoflavones. This study effectively demonstrated that soy protein providing 90 mg of isoflavones daily supports healthy bones in postmenopausal women.
Soy protein and menopause
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) suggests that short-term use of the phytoestrogens in soy may be helpful for relieving menopausal symptoms (such as hot flashes, flushes, and night sweats).5The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. ACOG Practice bulletin: Use of botanicals for management of menopausal symptoms. 2001 June 20. Accessed March 29, 2006 from http://www.guideline.gov/summary/summary.aspx?ss=15&doc_id=3977&nbr=3116. Other research has shown similar results in reducing menopausal symptoms.6Knight DC, Eden JA. A review of the clinical effects of phytoestrogens. Obstet Gynecol 1996; 87:897B904. 7Albertazzi P, Pansini F, Bonaccorsi G, Zanotti L, Forini E, De Aloysio D. The effect of dietary soy supplementation on hot flushes. Obstet Gynecol 1998; 91:6B11. 8Murkies AL, Lombard C, Strauss BJG, Wilcox G, Burger HG, Morton MS. Dietary flour supplementation decreases post-menopausal hot flushes: Effect of soy and wheat. Maturitas 1995; 21:189B95.
Pea Protein
Pea protein powder has a high protein content, and it is highly digestible.9Gausserès N, Mahè S, Benamouzig R, Luengo C, Drouet H, Rautureau J, Tomè D. The gastro-ileal digestion of 15N-labelled pea nitrogen in adult humans. Br J Nutr. 1996 Jul;76(1):75-85. In addition, it offers some significant advantages in promoting satiety (i.e. feeling satisfied or full) and thermogenesis—as well as a couple of other benefits.
Pea protein for satiety
Multiple studies have demonstrated the satiating properties of pea protein, leading to reduced food intake. In one study, a 20-gram dose resulted in about 12% fewer calories consumed10Smith CE, Mollard RC, Luhovyy BL, Anderson GH. The effect of yellow pea protein and fibre on short-term food intake, subjective appetite and glycaemic response in healthy young men. Br J Nutr. 2012 Aug;108 Suppl 1:S74-80.. In another randomized single-blind, cross-over study11Abou-Samra R, Keersmaekers L, Brienza D, Mukherjee R, Macé K. Effect of different protein sources on satiation and short-term satiety when consumed as a starter. Nutr J. 2011 Dec 23;10:139. pea protein was found to be more effective than whey protein, egg white protein, or maltodextrin in reducing food intake when consumed at the start of a meal.12Diepvens K, Häberer D, Westerterp-Plantenga M. Different proteins and biopeptides differently affect satiety and anorexigenic/orexigenic hormones in healthy humans. Int J Obes (Lond). 2008 Mar;32(3):510-8.
Pea protein for thermogenesis
In addition to its satiety benefits, research also suggests a role for pea protein as a thermogenic or fat-burning agent. The effect of pea protein and soy protein on diet-induced thermogenesis was examined in two separate trials13Claessens M, Calame W, Siemensma AD, Saris WH, van Baak MA. The thermogenic and metabolic effects of protein hydrolysate with or without a carbohydrate load in healthy male subjects. Metabolism. 2007 Aug;56(8):1051-9., both showing that the proteins stimulated thermogenesis. This indicates that pea protein offers a powerful combination for supporting weight loss: it promotes satiety to help reduce food intake while also enhancing thermogenesis to assist in calorie burning.
Other pea protein benefits
Two other pea protein benefits demonstrated in research have to do with blood pressure, as well as prebiotic function. In a 3-week randomized double-blind placebo-controlled crossover human intervention trial,14Li H, Prairie N, Udenigwe CC, Adebiyi AP, Tappia PS, Aukema HM, Jones PJ, Aluko RE. Blood pressure lowering effect of a pea protein hydrolysate in hypertensive rats and humans. J Agric Food Chem. 2011 Sep 28;59(18):9854-60. the consumption of pea protein helped effectively maintain healthy blood pressure levels already within normal ranges—and did so more significantly than consuming a placebo.
Also, in an in-vitro (laboratory) study,15Swiatecka D, Swiatecki A, Kostyra H, Marciniak-Darmochwał K, Kostyra E. The impact of pea protein hydrolysates on bacterial physiological activity–an in vitro study. Int J Food Microbiol. 2010 Jun 15;140(2-3):263-70. the influence of pea protein on friendly bacteria in the small intestine was evaluated. The results were that Lactobacilli species were able to utilize pea protein, demonstrating a hitherto unknown role as a prebiotic (i.e. food for probiotic bacteria).
Brown Rice Protein
Food allergy prevalence has been increasing in recent decades16Tang ML, Mullins RJ. Food allergy: is prevalence increasing? Intern Med J. 2017 Mar;47(3):256-261., which presents a problem where some protein powders are concerned. Rice is generally considered to be hypoallergenic17Michelet M, Schluckebier D, Petit LM, Caubet JC. Food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome – a review of the literature with focus on clinical management. J Asthma Allergy. 2017 Jun 27;10:197-207.—which doesn’t mean non-allergenic, but rather that it has a low potential for allergic reactions.18Moro GE, Warm A, Arslanoglu S, Miniello V. Management of bovine protein allergy: new perspectives and nutritional aspects. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2002;89(6 Suppl 1):91-6 [review]. In any case, as a hypoallergenic, protein-containing food, it serves as an ideal source for extracting protein for a protein powder.
High-quality brown rice protein
Naturally, that raises the question, “Am I settling for less when I use rice protein instead of whey protein—is it a less effective protein in general, and will it be less effective for building muscle?”
The short answer is no—but an explanation is in order. While there have been concerns that rice protein may not be a complete protein due to its lower levels of the amino acid lysine19Murata K, Nishikaze M, Tanaka M. Nutritional quality of rice protein compared with whole egg protein. J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo) 1977;23:125-31. 20MacLean WC Jr, Placko RP, Graham GG. Postprandial plasma free amino acid changes in preschool children consuming exclusively rice protein. J Nutr 1979;109:1285-9., this isn’t necessarily a major issue. First, most plant-based proteins tend to have one or more amino acids in lower amounts compared to animal-based proteins. Second, brown rice protein contains approximately 78% protein by weight, with 36% essential amino acids and 18% branched-chain amino acids. These values are comparable to those of soy protein isolate, which is considered a reasonably complete plant-based protein.21Kalman DS. Amino Acid Composition of an Organic Brown Rice Protein Concentrate and Isolate Compared to Soy and Whey Concentrates and Isolates. Foods. 2014 Sep; 3(3): 394–402. Furthermore, a study was conducted22Purpura M, Lowery RP, Joy JM, De Souza EO, Kalman DS, et al. (2014) A Comparison of Blood Amino Acid Concentrations Following Ingestion of Rice and Whey Protein Isolate: A Double-Blind Crossover Study. J Nutr Health Sci 1(3): 306. doi: 10.15744/2393-9060.1.306 comparing blood concentrations of amino acids when subjects consumed rice protein isolate, and whey protein isolate. The results showed there was no statistically significant difference in the total amino acid concentration in the blood when comparing rice protein isolate to whey protein isolate.
Rice protein’s effect on body composition
Even more important than amino acid absorption is the actual effect of rice protein on body composition. On one randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial,23Joy JM, Lowery RP, Wilson JM, et al. The effects of 8 weeks of whey or rice protein supplementation on body composition and exercise performance. Nutr J. 2013; 12: 86. 24 healthy, college-aged, resistance-trained participants received either 48 g of rice or whey protein isolate for eight weeks. The results showed that rice protein isolate decreased fat-mass and increased lean body mass, skeletal muscle hypertrophy, power, and strength, showing comparable results to whey protein isolate. A second study24Kalman D, Escalante A. P34 The body composition effects of extra protein in elite mixed martial artists undergoing frequent training over a six-week period. JISSN. 2017;14(Suppl 2):31. showed similar results.
Spirulina
Spirulina, a blue-green algae, gained popularity when NASA proposed that it could be grown in space for astronauts. This superfood is packed with vitamins, minerals, amino acids, healthy fats, and over 50% plant protein25Mishra T, Joshi M, Singh S, et al. Spirulina: The Beneficial Algae. International Journal of Applied Microbiology Science 2013; 2(3):21-35. Additionally, it contains powerful phytochemicals such as phycocyanin and chlorophyll, as well as the antioxidant beta-carotene26Li L, Zhao X, Wang J, et al. Spirulina can increase total-body vitamin A stores of Chinese school-age children as determined by a paired isotope dilution technique. Journal of Nutritional Science. 2012; 1:e19.. Furthermore, Spirulina is easily digestible due to its lack of cellulose cell walls, which means its nutrients are more bioavailable27de la Jara A, Ruano-Rodriguez C, Polifrone M, Assunçao P, Brito-Casillas Y, Wägner AM, et al. Impact of dietary Arthrospira (Spirulina) biomass consumption on human health: main health targets and systematic review. J Appl Phycol. (2018) 30:2403–23. 28Dillon JC, Phuc AP, Dubacq JP. Nutritional value of the alga Spirulina. World Review of Nutrition and Dietetics. 1995;77:32–46. 29Kose A, Ozen MO, Elibol M, Oncel SS. Investigation of in vitro digestibility of dietary microalga Chlorella vulgaris and cyanobacterium Spirulina platensis as a nutritional supplement. 3 Biotech. 2017 Jul; 7(3): 170..
Spirulina for blood glucose and lipid levels
A study30Parikh P, et al. Role of Spirulina in the Control of Glycemia and Lipidemia in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. J Med Food. 2001 Winter;4(4):193-199. on spirulina supplementation demonstrated that it promoted healthy blood glucose and triglyceride levels already within normal ranges. It also promoted a healthy balance between total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). Another study31Mazokopakis EE, Starakis IK, Papadomanolaki MG, et al. The hypolipidaemic effects of Spirulina (Arthrospira platensis) supplementation in a Cretan population: a prospective study. J Sci Food Agric . 2014 Feb;94(3):432-7. also found that spirulina was able to promote healthy levels of triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, total cholesterol, and non-high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels, already within normal ranges.
Spirulina and menopause
A two-month supplementation study32Genazzani AD, Chierchia E, Lanzoni C, et al. [Effects of Klamath Algae extract on psychological disorders and depression in menopausal women: a pilot study]. Minerva Ginecol 2010;62:381-8. with spirulina in menopausal women found that it resulted in significant improvements in menopausal symptoms, including quality of life, mood, anxiety, and depressive attitude.
Testing And Quality Control
Quality control and testing of plant proteins are essential components of the manufacturing process, typically conducted by a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO). Testing should include identity and potency, microbiological compliance, and heavy metal analysis.
Identity and Potency: To assess identity and potency, an established methodology for testing the raw material ingredient must be followed. This methodology may be found in the U.S. Pharmacopeia or provided by another credible source. A validated standard sample of the raw material, which the CDMO’s laboratory will use for comparison, is also necessary. This standard allows for testing the raw material against it using appropriate laboratory equipment to ensure a match. Generally, a standard for plant proteins is readily available.
Microbiological Testing: The raw material must be tested for microbiological compliance to ensure it does not contain harmful levels of microorganisms, such as E. coli. This testing requires specialized equipment in a microbiological laboratory. Since not all CDMOs have in-house microbiological labs, the raw material may need to be sent to a third-party lab for testing. In some cases, all testing may be conducted by external laboratories if the CDMO lacks standard analytical facilities.
Heavy Metal Testing: Heavy metal testing for contaminants such as lead, mercury, cadmium, and arsenic is crucial. This testing is not only a best practice but also necessary for compliance with California Proposition 65, which imposes significant fines for products that fail to meet stringent heavy metal standards.
How Can Vitaquest Help You Custom Manufacture Plant-Based Protein Supplements?
Marketing trends have indicated a surge in demand for plant-based protein supplements. This article addressed plant-based protein manufacturing, answering related questions including what a plant-based protein is, what the key market trends driving plant-based protein industry growth are, what the best sources of plant-based protein are, and a discussion about testing/quality control.
At this point, you may be thinking about having a plant-based protein manufactured for your supplement line, and consequently, considering plant protein manufacturers. If so, then you should consider working with the experts at Vitaquest.
Vitaquest is a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) that has provided supplement brands with exceptional and dependable plant-based protein supplement development, manufacturing, packaging design, and fulfillment services for over 45 years. Whether you’re a newcomer to the industry or aiming to diversify your product range, Vitaquest possesses the expertise, cutting-edge facilities, and solutions needed to swiftly and effectively turn your plant-based protein supplement concept into reality.
In addition to powders, Vitaquest offers a variety of solid dosage forms, including capsules, tablets, chewable tablets, oral disintegrating tablets (ODT), and effervescents. However, powders are the most common delivery form for plant-based protein products.
Vitaquest also possesses expertise in both domestic and international regulatory standards. All of our facilities are in conformance with FDA cGMP. Additionally, we are GMP certified by independent bodies such as NSF and USP, assuring brand owners and consumers of our compliance with industry regulations and standards. Additionally, Vitaquest offers Kosher, Halal, and certified organic products, along with FSSC 22000 certification for food safety.
Are you ready to capitalize on the latest plant-based protein supplement trends and claim your piece of this growing market? If so, call 800-526-9095 to speak with one of our knowledgeable sales executives or request a nutraceutical manufacturing price quote if you’ve already finalized your project requirements!
Frequently Asked Questions About Plant Protein Manufacturing
Q: What are the downsides to plant protein powder?
There really are no downsides to plant protein powders. They offer a viable alternative to dairy-source proteins while providing a spectrum of valuable benefits.
Q: What should I look for in a plant protein powder?
Look for isolates or concentrates of quality plant protein sources from soy, pea, or rice (or a combination) as well as from spirulina. These are excellent plant protein sources with research demonstrating a range of benefits.
Q: Can you really get enough protein from plants?
Absolutely! Quality plant protein sources from soy, pea, or rice can provide high potencies of valuable protein to supplement what you’re already getting in your diet.
Q: Is drinking plant protein good for you?
Yes. There are many human clinical studies demonstrating that quality plant protein sources from soy, pea or rice as well as from spirulina not only provide excellent sources of protein, but a range of valuable benefits as well.
Q: Is plant protein powder safe for kidneys?
Plant protein powder is as safe as or safer than animal protein. Those with kidney disease should consult their healthcare provider about appropriate protein intake.
Q: Are plant protein powders inflammatory?
Plant proteins do not tend to be pro-inflammatory. In fact, many plant proteins can have a positive impact on maintaining a balance of inflammatory markers in healthy populations.
