Tate & Lyle/Nutriati: Chickpea protein concentrates and flours
Nutriati – which is now part of Tate & Lyle – was also showcasing its Artesa functional chickpea ingredients at the show, including protein concentrates and the co-product from the protein extraction process: a protein and fiber packed functional flour, which means you don’t have to find separate markets for starches or fibers, said founder Michael Spinelli.
“We didn't scale another isoelectric precipitation process where you create a protein isolate and a whole bunch of starch. We make a concentrate that is high in protein and very low in carbs but has 28% fiber, that can be used in everything from extruded snacks to sheeted bakery or plant-based meat, dairy or supplements.”
The protein concentrate has a very small, uniform particle size that helps it function like dairy proteins in food, supplement and beverage applications. It also has high water binding capacity and foaming and emulsification properties that other plant proteins don’t – which can be critical to processing efficiency, shelf-life and final product quality, claimed Spinelli.
The co-product, functional chickpea flour, has 1% fat, more than 12% protein, good oil and water binding capability and a small, uniform particle size that works well in pasta and other extruded applications, showing elasticity and product cohesion similar to that available from premium semolina flours, said Spinelli, who said Nutriati’s technology could also be applied to other pulse crops in addition to chickpeas.
