Protein Industries Canada announces new partnership

New partnership will lead to development of Canadian protein ingredients focused on functionality and taste
(GlobeNewswire)

VANCOUVER — Protein Industries Canada announced a new project to help meet the growing need for ingredients that will serve as alternative protein sources, with a co-investment with partners Burcon NutraScience, HPS Food & Ingredients and Puratos Canada.

Prioritizing functionality and taste, Burcon is increasing the value of each hemp and sunflower flour by extracting hemp protein isolate, sunflower protein isolate and sunflower protein concentrate. These ingredients will meet the growing needs of food and beverage companies, as they work to provide Canadian consumers with a wide variety of nutritious, sustainable and flavour-neutral protein options.

“This Global Innovation Clusters project is another example of our commitment to fostering innovation in the development of plant-based products and technologies, recognizing their potential to drive sustainable economic growth and provide healthy food options to consumers,” said François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry. “By leveraging hemp and sunflower proteins for innovation, Protein Industries Canada and its partners are helping strengthen Canada’s ecosystem and the economy.”

In partnership with Burcon, HPS is assessing hemp crop varieties to determine which are best suited for the new ingredients, while also developing, commercializing and scaling the technology needed to process the hemp into the new ingredients. Further along the value chain, Puratos and Burcon will each focus on using the hemp and sunflower ingredients in new food and beverage products, particularly baking applications, beverages and meat alternatives.

“The development of new ingredients and food manufacturing is integral to growing and strengthening Canada’s agrifood sector. Increasing ingredient manufacturing can help diversify our agriculture sector and increase our productivity, creating new economic growth for Canada,” Protein Industries Canada CEO Bill Greuel said. “Together, Burcon, HPS and Puratos are developing a line of ingredients, food and beverage products that will do this, while also bringing new, diverse protein options to market.”

A total of $6.9 million has been committed to the project, with Protein Industries Canada committing $3 million and the partners together committing the remainder.

“There is a significant gap between the needs of consumers today and the performance of plant proteins on the market,” Burcon Chief Executive Officer Kip Underwood said. “We are excited to launch new-to-the-world high purity hempseed and sunflower seed protein ingredients that exhibit superior taste, texture, colour and functionality. Better products start with better ingredients and Burcon has the proteins to meet this need.”