FiE 2024: Spotlight on high-protein fava bean applications and functionality

At this year’s Food ingredients Europe (FiE) trade show in Frankfurt, Germany, fava beans took center stage as a plant-based and sustainable high-protein solution for food fortification. Vicia faba, also known as the broad bean, fava bean or faba bean, is a species of flowering pea plant in the Fabaceae family.

The legume is a staple in Southern European, Northern European, East Asian, Latin American and North African cuisines and has gained popularity for its flavor profile and protein load.

On the showroom floor, Nutrition Insight sat down with experts from Cosun Protein, Roquette and Sensus to discuss the latest advancements and innovations in fava bean protein solutions.

“At Cosun Protein, we focus on proteins that have a very strong functionality and are capable of replacing animal-derived proteins one-on-one,” explains Marcel van der Vaart, business development and research and development manager at Cosun Protein. “For example, from fava beans we isolate a protein we call Tendra, which is a protein isolate.”

“It’s unique because of its extremely high solubility and its very neutral taste. Because of the high solubility, it also has a very strong functionality.”

Roquette also introduced its first fava bean protein isolate earlier this year — Nutralys Fava S900M. The innovation can deliver 90% protein across a variety of applications, such as meat substitutes and non-dairy alternatives

“This is the first fava protein isolate that we are launching and we plan to extend the range next year. We also have seen a lot of traction on the texturized protein,” says Damien-Pierre Lesot, the head of product marketing at Roquette. “Almost every customer is seeking a specific product with smaller particle size, more firm or with more hydration in the product.” 

“(In 2025) we are going to launch three or four more new product ranges to complement the range that we have already.”Marcel van der Vaart, business development and research and development manager at Cosun Protein and Eszter Heijnen, the commercial manager at Sensus.

Nutritious dairy replacement

The companies emphasized the texture, neutrality and protein load of fava beans for dairy replacement applications. Roquette presented fermented yogurt based on its fava bean isolate at the show.

“Fava helped us also to propose in our range a new botanical origin in parallel with our pea, but with a specific sensory profile and it also gives you a specific mouth feel,” says Christine Beauvois, Roquette’s head of customer technical service for the EU. “It’s a 90% protein fava product — a texture that is mouth coating.”

“This means that you don’t have to add any hydrocolloids to your recipe. So it’s very clean. In this concept, we managed to reach a Nutri-Score B, and if you just get rid of the blueberry preparation, it moves to Nutri-Score A, which is even better.”

Van der Vaart points out that, because fava beans can foam very efficiently and also make a very strong emulsification, it is an ideal functional and nutritious ingredient for applications such as plant-based ice cream.

“The nice thing there is that, normally, you have milk that makes your emulsions to create your ice cream,” he says. “In this case, you can replace the milk one-to-one with our protein, Tendra, and have a very nice ice cream without any additional gums or stabilizers.” 

“For example, in sports nutrition, that’s where solubility comes in because often you see that plant-based concentrates are quite gritty with little pieces, and you will not have that without protein — it is totally soluble and smooth.”Christine Beauvois, Roquette’s head of customer technical service for the EU and Damien-Pierre Lesot, the company’s head of product marketing.

Focus on functionality

According to Van der Vaart, the functionality of fava, especially when it comes to its emulsification and solubility, are key strengths for customers and consumers. Additionally, he highlights its ability to maintain a high concentration of protein without becoming thick.

“You can easily go to 15 to 18% and you would still have a drinkable liquid, which is quite unique,” Van der Vaart underscores. “From a health perspective, you have to dose extremely high in plant-based food and what we also have seen in health-related areas is that, because of the very high solubility, it’s very well digestible in the gut.”

“That’s always been a big problem for plant-based proteins — the digestibility can be very poor. That’s why you need to dose a lot. But with our fava bean protein, we have seen that we have an 85% digestibility score, which is extremely high for a plant-based protein.”

Eszter Heijnen, the commercial manager at Sensus, told us that the company conducts its own research and found that products such as fava bean protein isolate resonate with consumer demand for clean-label ingredients.

“On the European scale, consumers prioritize clean ingredients and clean label trends and they are prioritizing improvement on the nutritional profile of products and appealing health claims,” she concludes.