Our Commercial Application Specialist Josie Hobson looks at replacing rice protein with ATURA chickpea protein.

What we looked at

The standard pea-rice protein blend, commonly used in plant-based nutritional products to deliver a complete amino acid profile, may benefit from improvements in taste and texture. According to Innova Market Insights, in the last 5 years, 210 products have been released using a combination of pea and rice proteins. 69% fell under the sports nutrition category with sports powders accounting for 110 launches. This shows that the primary function of combining these proteins is the nutritional benefit achieved and that the primary delivery of this is through beverages. 

In a recent study, ATURA Chickpea Protein, which contains 60% protein, was introduced as a substitute for rice protein to evaluate its effects on flavour, mouthfeel, and amino acid content. ATURA Chickpea protein boasts a high methionine content, similar to rice, making it a suitable replacement for not only pea but also rice.  Furthermore, ATURA Chickpea Protein 60% (ATURA CP60) offers excellent mouthfeel and taste benefits. All of these factors can help to improve not only the nutritional profile of the protein mix but also the customer experience of the end-application. The study look at the affects of replacing rice protein with ATURA CP 60 in a nutritional shake. 

What we found

Two blends of pea, rice, and ATURA CP60 were created and tested as 10% dispersions in water and as vanilla shakes. Results showed that replacing rice with chickpea improved flavour and reduced grittiness, especially when more than 50% of rice protein was substituted. These improvements were also noted in the vanilla-flavoured shakes, with better taste and mouthfeel noted in blends with higher chickpea content. Although ATURA CP60 slightly reduced overall protein content , the changes were not significant enough to impact acceptability. The graph looks at the results of the study and the table below shows the amount of each protein in the different blends.  

Conclusion

In conclusion, ATURA CP 60% can effectively replace rice protein in plant-based blends, enhancing taste and texture while maintaining essential amino acid profiles. This innovation promises to make protein shakes more enjoyable for consumers. 

Find Out More: Chickpea Protein Isolate 60% – Atura (aturaproteins.com)