Pea protein has emerged as formulators’ preferred choice for plant-based innovation Roquette, a global leader in plant-based ingredients, is expanding its NUTRALYS portfolio with the launch of NUTRALYS Pea 850F, a new…

Pea protein has emerged as formulators’ preferred choice for plant-based innovation

Roquette, a global leader in plant-based ingredients, is expanding its NUTRALYS portfolio with the launch of NUTRALYS Pea 850F, a new pea protein isolate designed to unlock superior sensory performance in plant-based formulations. Developed to address common formulation challenges, this next-generation ingredient enables food and beverage manufacturers to create plant-based alternatives with cleaner, more neutral taste profiles.

The launch responds to accelerating consumer demand for high-protein products, with three in five consumers worldwide actively increasing their protein intake. At the same time, brands and formulators face growing pressure to deliver plant-based alternatives that match conventional products on taste – a challenge that has historically required extensive use of flavouring systems as masking agents.

Pea protein has emerged as formulators’ preferred choice for plant-based innovation, thanks to its strong nutritional profile, regional sourcing availability and competitive pricing. However, its characteristic taste has remained a persistent formulation barrier, requiring manufacturers to invest in complex masking strategies, which can compromise clean label positioning.

NUTRALYS Pea 850F provides the complete nutritional benefits of pea protein while significantly reducing vegetal or pea notes. Expert sensory panel analysis confirms the ingredient’s more neutral and smooth taste profile, enabling formulators to develop higher-protein products without sacrificing flavour quality.

Importantly, this improved sensory performance is achieved by directly addressing pea protein’s taste issues, without the need for additional ingredients or processing aids. As a result, products formulated with NUTRALYS Pea 850F can be labelled simply as ‘pea protein’ or ‘pea protein isolate’, simplifying reformulation requirements in a consumer-friendly way.

NUTRALYS Pea 850F delivers functional performance comparable to Roquette’s established NUTRALYS S85F benchmark, while offering enhanced sensory characteristics. The new ingredient provides high emulsion capacity for stable formulations, moderate gelling and viscosity and excellent solubility, making it particularly well-suited for ready-to-mix and ready-to-drink applications. Its versatility extends across dairy alternatives, beverages, and specialised nutrition categories.

This combination of technical functionality and sensory performance enables formulators to tap into emerging market opportunities, including high-protein products designed for GLP-1 users. This rapidly-expanding segment has driven 29 per cent growth in food and beverage launches featuring protein and weight management claims in 2024 / 2025, compared to the previous year.