Kerry aims to offer taste, nutrition and functionality through its ProDiem solution, as the company transfers its knowledge from dairy proteins to vegetable proteins.
Showcasing the product at this year’s Vitafoods Asia in Singapore, Kerry strives to offer a product that has the nutritional equivalent to dairy and soya.
John Reilly, vice president of business development at Kerry, told FoodBev’s Jules Scully how the firm’s nutrition team has brought different protein sources together to balance the amino acid profile.
“With the advent of the vegan requirement in the marketplace, Kerry have now developed a range of vegan proteins based on pea and rice,” he said. “And what we’ve done is we’ve approached it on three different platforms: addressing the taste around use of vegetable proteins, the nutrition around vegetable proteins and finally on functionality – and we’ve addressed all three of those with ProDiem.”
Using its flavour modulation technology, Kerry has been able to mask the bitter notes which can sometimes be found in vegetable proteins.
Reilly added: “The day of eating something because it’s good for you is gone, you eat something now because it’s good for you and you enjoy eating it. And getting the balance between the taste and nutrition is critical and that’s what we’re trying to do, not just in protein, but in everything that Kerry does.”
Alongside its protein portfolio, Kerry was also exhibiting its natural yeast beta glucan Wellmune, which can be used across food, beverage and supplements to support consumers’ immune systems.
Backed up by over a dozen clinical studies, Wellmune is said to maintain overall physical health, improve immune health and protect against the harmful effects of stress.
Kerry said that while 87% of consumers are interested in purchasing products with immune health benefits, only 48% are currently doing so.
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