Food and beverage firms test out new soy protein isolate

05-Mar-2009 - Last updated on 14-Mar-2017 at 16:53 GMT

Burcon’s Clarisoy soy protein isolate has taken a step closer to being used in beverage formulations, as the company says it has entered into material transfer agreements with firms wanting to test it out.

Canadian Burcon spent ten years developing its canola protein ingredients Puratein and Supertein, but in November last year it went public with Clarisoy after having filed patent applications. The process behind the soy ingredient is said to be novel, and to represent a new revenue-generating stream for the firm.

Although the identity of the food, beverage and nutritional product firms now evaluating Clarisoy could not be disclosed because of non-disclosure agreements. But president and CEO Johann Tergesen said the response from industry has been “tremendous”.

The soy protein isolate is expected to be interesting for companies seeking an alternative to dairy proteins, since wildly fluctuating milk prices can up formulation costs considerably.

Clarisoy is said to be “price competitive with existing proteins”.

Beverage value

Since Clarisoy is 100 per cent soluble and is transparent in acidic solutions at a pH as low as 2.5, Burcon is expecting it to be attractive to makers of ready-to-drink beverages. It therefore opens up the use of soy in products where it has previously not been possible.

Nutritional, sports and energy drinks, juices and waters are expected to be possible products to use the ingredient.

Additional benefits are said to be a clean, non-beany taste, which overcomes a sensory hurdle that has plagued manufacturers working with soy in the past. It is also heat stable, so can be used in hot-fill applications.

Patents filed

Burcon has said it has filed patent applications in the US to protect its novel processes for the production of plant proteins including acid soluble soy protein isolates, as well as Clarisoy, and to protect the functional and nutritional applications of Clarisoy as an ingredient in foods and beverages.

It is also filing for international patent protection.

BMO capital Markets has been appointed as financial advisor to help Burcon identify and pursue opportunities generated by its protein extraction technologies.