Beneo trials faba bean protein as sustainable alternative to animal blood plasma in pet food

In a September 9, 2025, press release, functional ingredients manufacturer Beneo announced that results from recent technical trials indicate that its faba bean protein concentrate can be used as a full or partial replacement for animal blood plasma (ABP) in wet pet food¹.

Why replace animal blood plasma in pet food?

Spray dried APB supports and maintains the quality of wet food, which is rich in moisture content, through its emulsifying and texturizing properties, the press release explains, though some pet owners interested in plant-based ingredients in pet food are perceiving APB’s animal origins in a more negative way.

Trial results: faba bean protein performance

The trials were conducted by pet food industry specialist service provider Passion4Food on behalf of Beneo. The trials tested the faba bean protein replacement of APB at 50% and 100% in wet food loaves, also called paté. Follow up trials used a test recipe that offered commercial scalability.

“As the technical trials show, Beneo’s faba bean protein concentrate offers pet food manufacturers a win-win scenario: producers can decrease their recipe costs while benefitting from secure supply and meeting consumer expectations for more sustainable and plant-based pet foods, without impacting the quality of the end product,” explained Dr. Maygane Ronsmans, product manager animal nutrition at Beneo, in the press release. “This is good news for the growing number of producers committing to clear environmental targets.”

The additional trials subsequently conducted compared the protein against pea protein used as 50% APB replacement. The faba bean protein was demonstrated to provide better binding properties than pea protein at a more cost-effective price than APB, without changing the height, weight, hardness or adhesiveness of the wet food loaves.

Nutritional profile and production

It also has a protein content of 61g/100g on dry matter, has an ileal digestibility score near 90%, and is listed in the in the EU Catalogue of Feed Materials². The faba bean protein concentrate can also support a “no grains” claim in pet food. The lysine in its amino acid profile can complement a cereal protein to complete an essential amino acids profile.

An international patent was filed by Beneo and published in August 2025 for the faba bean protein as a replacement for APB in wet pet food. Earlier this year, Beneo opened its first pulse-processing plant in Germany, intended to process the locally sourced faba beans³.

Pet owner survey: rising demand for sustainable ingredients

In 2025, FMCG Gurus conducted an online consumer research survey on behalf of Beneo⁴. The survey participants consisted of 2500 pet owners, with 250 cat owners and 250 dog owners from the US, UK, Germany, Brazil, and China. The results revealed pet owners’ perspectives on pet food ingredients. “With two in three pet owners considering plant-based proteins to be better for the environment, demand has grown for sustainable and locally sourced vegetal protein ingredients,” stated Dr. Ronsmans, referencing the survey.

A similar survey had also been conducted in 2023, with pet owners asked about perspectives on pet food ingredient quality, sustainability, and plant-based ingredients⁵. Reportedly, 7 out of 10 indicated that protein quality and content in ingredients are important, 4 out of 5 respondents stated that sustainability claims are significant when choosing food for their pets, and more than 80% viewing faba beans as sustainable. “With pet owners more attentive to sustainability, Beneo’s vegetal proteins, derived from faba bean, wheat or rice, are valuable assets in pet food producers’ toolboxes,” Dr. Ronsmans had stated regarding the results.

References

1. Beneo. Faba bean protein concentrate shows strong potential as an alternative to animal blood plasma in wet pet food https://www.beneo.com/news/faba-bean-in-wet-pet-food (accessed 2025-09-11).
2. European Union (EU) Commission Regulation. Commission Regulation (EU) No 68/2013 of 16 January 2013 on the Catalogue of feed materials https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32013R0068 (accessed 2025-09-11).
3. Colli, M. Beneo opens first pulse-processing plant in Germany https://www.nutritionaloutlook.com/view/beneo-opens-first-pulse-processing-plant-in-germany (accessed 2025-09-11).
4. BENEO Consumer Research On Pet Care 2025. FMCG Gurus conducted a quantitative online survey in 2025 with 2.500 pet owners in the US, Brazil, UK, Germany, and China (250 cat and 250 dog owners per country).
5. Beneo. Demand for quality, nutritional and healthy pet food remains high despite inflation https://www.beneo.com/news/demand-for-pet-food(accessed 2025-09-11).