Ingredion Incorporated, a leading provider of ingredient solutions to the food and beverage manufacturing industry, has expanded its line of protein fortification solutions with the launch of VITESSENCE® Pea 100 HD, a pea protein optimised for cold-pressed bars. The new solution helps maintain the softness of cold-pressed bars throughout shelf life, provides preferred texture and sensory attributes, and adds nutritional value to boost consumer preference.
Whether eaten as a meal replacement, pre- and post-workout, or to supplement an on-the-go lifestyle, consumers increasingly seek indulgent textures, balanced taste, and smooth mouthfeel.
Formulating bars with plant proteins can introduce texture challenges throughout shelf life, including increased firmness and gritty mouthfeel. These changes can affect consumer experience if not carefully managed.
“Our VITESSENCE® Pea 100 HD pea protein reduces the challenges cold-pressed bar manufacturers face and enables them to build product superiority in areas that matter to consumers, especially in the area of texture, which is a significant factor,” explained Muserref Karadayi, business manager, healthful solutions EMEA at Ingredion.
“We identified key consumer drivers – taste, texture and sensory appeal – in the sports and nutrition bar space, which guided the development of our new plant protein. Our goal was to maintain smooth, creamy textures and to minimise hardness in cold-pressed bars, without compromising nutrition or the eating experience.” added Karadayi.
Driving Purchase Loyalty
Ingredion developed and validated VITESSENCE® Pea 100 HD protein in cold-pressed bar applications to ensure superior texture that drives purchase loyalty. Sensory testing confirmed that Pea 100 HD protein provides a short texture with a clean break, reducing a chalky, gritty, or powdery mouthfeel and preserving a smooth and creamy texture over time when compared to other protein sources. Beyond cold-pressed bars, Pea 100 HD has also demonstrated strong performance in other bakery and bar-type applications, supporting desirable texture and eating quality across a broader range of baked formats.
Testing also revealed that the product has a low plant/pulse flavour and no gritty perception, making the product overall more enjoyable and indulgent.
As well as preferring smoother textures, consumers favour products with increased health benefits. Ingredion’s proprietary ATLAS 2025 research shows that nutritional information ranks as the third most important element on packaged foods, after brand and ingredient list. VITESSENCE® Pea 100 HD protein supports cleaner labels and helps brands achieve a “source of protein” or “high protein” claim in their products.
More information about VITESSENCE® Pea 100 HD protein is available on www.ingredion.com.
