Precision Meets Performance: Navigating the New Era of Protein Innovation
As the global appetite for high-protein and plant-based protein products continues to grow, food developers face a critical challenge: choosing the right protein ingredients that meet nutritional needs and perform well in real-world applications. From plant-based creamers to high-protein ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages, protein functionality testing is the backbone of successful innovation in this evolving space.
The increasing demand for high-protein products
The high protein trend continues to be significant for consumers. It’s a crucial part of how people think about food, and it is tied into their health goals, weight management and functional nutrition. The demand for high-protein products is projected to reach about $86 billion globally by 2028.
While animal-based proteins still dominate the market, plant-based options have become mainstream over the last 10 to 15 years, driven by environmental concerns, sustainability and animal welfare. A new wave of designer proteins is also emerging. These include precision fermentation-derived proteins, which are often labeled animal-free. These proteins are identical in structure to animal proteins and provide the same nutritional benefits without the sustainability and ethical animal welfare concerns.
Another alternative protein is cultivated meat, also known as lab-grown or cultured meat. This is an emerging field, and few products have made it to market. Cultivated meat faces challenges, including early-stage funding constraints, technical and cost hurdles, and a lack of regulatory clarity.
Fermentation technology is gaining more ground in the production of alternative proteins. This technology is divided into three categories:
- Traditional fermentation - This includes tempeh, cheese, yogurt, bread and beer.
- Biomass fermentation - This can efficiently produce large quantities of protein using high protein content and fast-growing microorganisms. Examples include yeast, filamentous fungi and microalgae.
- Precision fermentation - This process turns microbes into cell factories, producing high-value ingredients like proteins, fats, vitamins, enzymes and natural pigments.
Why protein functionality testing matters
Not all proteins are created equal. Some hydrate well, while others struggle with solubility. Some form foams, gels or stable emulsions—others do not. That's where protein functionality testing comes in. Protein functionality testing can be used to characterize an ingredient's performance, establishing the functionality fingerprint of a protein ingredient. This information can provide important insight to product developers. Developers can identify the best protein for the right application by identifying how proteins behave under different conditions.
For example, solubility is a precursor to other core functionalities. If a protein is water-soluble, it can work by stabilizing interfaces like emulsions or foams, stabilizing suspension by physical interference, distributing the electrical charge at the surface of the proteins or building viscosity.
The protein functionality toolkit includes tests for:
- Solubility at various pH levels
- Heat stability simulating UHT or HTST processing
- Emulsification capacity and stability
- Foaming performance (expansion and stability)
- Water/oil holding capacity
- Zeta potential for colloidal stability
- SDS-PAGE for protein integrity and degradation
How specialty protein testing can be used for product development
There are two distinct approaches to using protein functionality testing. Most of the work Eurofins is involved in is with consumer-packaged goods (CPGs), focusing on product development and scale-up. About one-third of projects are with ingredient suppliers.
CPG focused approach
For CPGs, the approach is more application centric. If a CPG company has a product idea, Eurofins identifies the core functionalities for that application and tests them for several ingredients. The list of potential ingredients is narrowed down after applying other criteria useful to the project, like raw material source, cost, allergenicity, consumer perception, etc. By narrowing down the field, researchers can efficiently screen through many ingredients using functionality tests and come up with a shortlist of high performers, which can then be used to streamline the development process.
Testing can also help build a database of fully characterized ingredients for a CPG client. This database can then be sorted by target application by weighing the critical functionalities only and ranking the best performers.
Using protein functionality is a performance-driven approach to product development, which is far more efficient than the traditional trial-and-error approach. The traditional “hunt and peck” approach to development may or may not land on a working solution. A performance-driven approach incorporates functionality testing and is data-driven, efficient and streamlined. It helps de-risk trials, improve speed to market and builds confidence for big decisions.
Supplier-focused approach
When working with an ingredient supplier, the approach is more ingredient centric. Functionality testing can be used as part of the ingredient development process. A summary of the functionality data is presented to a diverse internal team of product developers who use their experience to identify applications where the product would perform best. The supplier can then target market leaders in those product areas as part of their sales efforts, unlocking the ingredient’s revenue potential.
Testing is also used to build data sheets and technical bulletins, often comparing the plant-based ingredients to the animal-based gold standards. They can help researchers understand an ingredient’s loss of functionality during shelf life and suggest in-use adjustments that can be made to mitigate it.
Dive into our case studies below to see how varied methodologies have advanced protein optimization for our partners.
Case Study 1: Plant-based coffee creamers
Plant-based coffee creamers have grown fast in popularity, with sales jumping about 31% from 2021 to 2024. People love them because they’re looking for healthier fats and want to add more plant proteins to their diets.
To create a creamy, stable creamer, fats that hold their shape well at room temperature should be used, like coconut or palm oil. These fats are less likely to separate or float to the top. Protein helps hold everything together by forming a smooth emulsion.
The whitening of the creamer depends on the particle size distribution of the fat droplets. Only oil droplets in the 1 to 10 microns range lead to the desired coffee whitening effect. Droplets that are too fine have a blue or grayish hue, while larger droplets become visible as a fat smear or sheen on the surface of the beverage.
The ideal plant protein for this application should have high solubility, high heat stability and high emulsifying activity.
Case Study 2: High-protein ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages
Ready-to-drink (RTD) protein shakes are more prevalent than ever, especially those packed with 25 grams of protein or more per serving. But getting that much protein into one smooth, shelf-stable drink is challenging because not all proteins behave the same way when mixed, heated or stored.
In this case, food developers worked with a blend of two types of protein: dairy and plant protein. These blends have been used more often recently as cost-saving strategies.
- Micellar casein, a dairy protein, holds up well under heat but tends to sink to the bottom over time.
- Soy protein, which is plant-based, mixes well but gets thick at high levels, making it hard to pump or pour.
On their own, neither protein could unlock the 25 grams of protein in an 8-ounce bottle. The casein clumped and settled after heating, and the soy protein made the drink too thick. But blending the two—using half casein and half soy—was the breakthrough. This blend stayed stable on the shelf and didn’t separate, without needing extra stabilizers or additives.
Typical product development programs
Some of the typical program types and projects that rely on protein functionality include:
- CPGs that are diversifying into plant-based products or redesigning their products and processes to adapt to the use of plant-based ingredients,
- Ingredient suppliers looking to understand how their ingredients change as their processes evolve as part of their development or optimization,
- Troubleshooting and feasibility assessments that require a more customized approach, whether using model systems to test feasibility or carrying out root cause investigations.
Future trends in protein functionality testing
Looking ahead, there will be greater potential for a data-driven approach to product development. More and more companies are working to diversify their food supply—whether to protect the supply chain against climate extremes, disease outbreaks, conflicts or market volatility.
The food ingredient market will continue to be a dynamic area. Therefore, product developers will continue to need tools to qualify and select novel ingredients for targeted applications. These novel ingredients are no longer just proteins. Various precision fermentation ingredients are emerging—fats, complex carbohydrates and others.
Another growing class of ingredients includes biomass ingredients, like filamentous fungi or yeasts. These present specific, differentiated challenges related to cell morphology and behavior during typical food unit operations. Eurofins is branching out into specialty testing of these novel ingredients, including standardized tests or custom-built model systems, to continue supporting its clients.
Conclusion
In a rapidly evolving protein landscape, the margin between success and setback lies in how well your ingredients perform under pressure—literally and figuratively. Protein functionality testing bridges the gap between innovation and execution, empowering food developers to move with confidence, precision, and speed. Whether you're developing the next breakthrough RTD beverage, exploring sustainable protein alternatives, or troubleshooting a formulation challenge, Eurofins Center of Excellence for Product Innovation, The National Food Lab, brings together scientific rigor, real-world insight, and a forward-looking toolkit to help you lead in a dynamic market.
Because when functionality meets strategy, innovation is no longer a gamble—it’s a formula.
Reach out to talk about how protein functionality testing can accelerate your product pipeline—reach out and connect with our team today.
Additional Resources
Turning Ideas into Reality: How Pilot Plants Bring Ingredients to Life
The Value of Emulsion Characterization and Stablity Testing: A Case Study
