Beyond Meat Supplier Develops New Pea-Based Alt Corn Syrup & High Protein Lupin Flour

PURIS, a supplier of pea protein for food tech giant Beyond Meat, is set to launch a number of new products including organic pea syrup and sweet lupin flour that boasts a high protein and fibre content. With its recent investment from agribusiness giant Cargill, the company is also expanding its manufacturing footprint with a second facility, which will make it the “only dual manufacturer of pea protein in North America”. 

Minneapolis-based pea protein supplier PURIS Proteins is going to be releasing new products this year, the company revealed in an earlier interview between CEO & President Tyler Lorenzen and FoodNavigator. The first product will be a sweet lupin flour, which will be minimally processed and will contain high amounts of fibre and protein yet low in carbohydrates, making it an especially suitable ingredient in keto-friendly dishes. 

We’ve partnered with a seed supplier allowing us to leverage a sweet lupin variety that has a little fat, a lot of fibre and a ton of protein, so it’s ideal for low-carb bakery solutions.​

Tyler Lorenzen, CEO & President of PURIS Protein

“Lupin is a pulse that’s grown all around the world, and it’s known to be quite bitter, but you can breed the bitterness out,” ​said Lorenzen, a former professional football player before he joined PURIS in 2011. 

“We’ve partnered with a seed supplier allowing us to leverage a sweet lupin variety that has a little fat, a lot of fibre and a ton of protein, so it’s ideal for low-carb bakery solutions.​ The first product is a sweet lupin flour​​​ that involves fairly minimal processing, we’re just de-hulling and milling it​.”

PURIS, who is one of Beyond Meat’s major pea protein suppliers, will also be launching a new organic pea syrup product in the fourth quarter of this year. The product will serve as an alternative to GMO corn syrup, and imported brown rice or tapioca-based syrups that are often used in a number of confectionary food products.

“Brown rice and tapioca syrup have replaced corn syrups in many products as people have looked for non-GMO options, but most of it is imported,” Lorenzen tells the publication. “We are working with organic farmers all over North America. It’s shocking and disturbing to me that the US accounts for half of the global market for organic food but less than 1% of its [farm]land is farmed organically.”​

It’s shocking and disturbing to me that the US accounts for half of the global market for organic food but less than 1% of its [farm]land is farmed organically.

Tyler Lorenzen, CEO & President of PURIS Protein

Beyond introducing two new products to its line-up, the pea protein supplier is now constructing its second pea processing plant in Dawson, Minnesota, which is backed by controversial agribusiness giant Cargill with a US$75 million capital injection. Set to become fully operational in the first half of next year, PURIS’ expanded production capacity will make it the “only dual manufacturer of pea protein in North America” in order to meet the growing demand for pea protein in a number of categories, from plant-based meat and dairy products to nutritional supplements and drinks. 

The demand is likely to continue to surge as the coronavirus pandemic turns consumer attention towards food safety, sustainability and health more than ever before. With slaughterhouse outbreaks exposing the dangers of the animal meat supply chain, shoppers all around the world have been turning to plant-based options and many polls have shown increasing willingness amongst mainstream consumers to make long-term changes to become flexitarian or fully plant-based as a direct result. 

Looking ahead, Lorenzen revealed that the company is now working on a texurised rice and pea protein mixture, as well as incorporating proteins derived from a more diverse range of plant-based legumes and “all the different pulses we find interesting.”​

Lead image courtesy of PURIS.