Ten years and counting, experience in B2B food ingredients with plant protein sales and new business development. Passionate about supporting the food industry’s transition to a more sustainable future with alternative proteins. Bart has an MSc and Ph.D. degree in Nutrition, with a specialization in dietary protein, from Wageningen and Maastricht University, resp.

Presentation Description

In my presentation about fava bean protein, I will show the renewed interest by the food industry, farmers, and EU government in fava bean as a plant protein crop. This renewed interest is driven by fava beans’ highly favorable protein characteristics, high protien yield per acre as well as its low land and water use as well as low CO2 emission per kg of protein compared to other crops. Moreover, the fava bean is a nitrogen-fixating crop, enriching the soil with nitrogen. This interest has also led the food industry to respond and develop more and more new plant-based foods with fava beans. New product launches with fava bean protein have been showing double-digit growth in recent years and more and more suppliers are entering the field. Fava beans can be processed into flour, protein concentrate, or protein isolate. The latter has the highest protein content and is often the most functional one. Cosun Protein has developed a proprietary process for making a fava protein isolate, named Tendra, which is renowned for its very clean taste and good solubility. Tendra is being very well received by plant-based dairy and cheese manufacturers allowing them to make great-tasting, plant-based yogurt, ice cream, or cheese products with protein levels up to 5% or more. Tendra will become a real game-changer in this field!