Powerful Plants

There’s no shortage of popular and emerging plant proteins on the market, from soy to rice to pea to wheat and more. Plant-based proteins now account for 80% of global protein consumption, according to Food Science & Nutrition,¹ and plant proteins are showing up in more than just the workout aisle. Consumers are now seeking out plant-based protein products for everything, from healthy aging to GLP-1 support to women’s health.

But different plant proteins offer distinct benefits and present different challenges, making some plant protein sources better suited to certain applications than others. Digestibility, amino acid completeness, allergenicity, taste, mouthfeel, cost, and supply reliability are all factors that formulators must take into consideration when creating plant protein products. Here are just some of the ways that plant proteins are advancing to tackle these challenges.

Plant Proteins Improve Their Performance

Plant-based protein manufacturers are innovating on their products in ways that are improving digestibility, amino acid completeness, allergenicity, taste, mouthfeel, cost, and supply reliability. Kwee Choo Ng, product manager, Rice Ingredients and Functional Proteins, North America for Beneo in Parsippany, New Jersey, says that while most plant proteins contain 9 essential amino acids, an incomplete plant protein doesn’t necessarily mean that 1 or 2 of those amino acids are completely absent. Rather, those amino acids may be present in insufficient digestible quantities.

“To make up for this shortfall, combining cereal- and legume-based proteins to achieve a sufficient quantity for all 9 essential amino acids is a common approach,” Ng says. “This is where PDCAAS [protein digestibility corrected amino acid score] is still necessary to calculate the protein percent daily value for the nutrition label.”

Ng says that claiming high protein in a product isn’t as simple as adding an 80% protein isolate to the formula. Rather, it is important to consider inherent flavor and color, as well as allergen-free labeling requirements, as wheat and soy protein can serve as allergens.

John Powers, marketing director for ADM in Chicago, says that popular plant proteins remain foundational for formulators due to nutritional value, scalability, and ongoing innovation. Meanwhile, he explains that emerging proteins like beans and pulses provide exciting opportunities to add protein and fiber content while supplying variation in mouthfeel, texture, appearance, and flavor. Beans and pulses, Powers says, have especially captivated consumer attention through their inclusion in high-protein and high-fiber snacks.

Andrew Zumbusch, PhD, is a principal scientist at Cargill in Minneapolis. He explains that cost is always a consideration when it comes to plant proteins; volatility in whey pricing has driven some incremental interest in pea protein. He adds that pea protein has a very good protein content and a PDCAAS score of 0.8, making it a desirable protein when paired with complementary protein sources such as rice, wheat, or soy.

Which Protein Does What? A Quick Primer

Different plant-based proteins are best suited for different applications depending on their unique properties. Here’s a quick chart explaining which proteins are best for which formulation considerations – and which weaknesses manufacturers need to account for with each protein source.

Overcoming Challenges with Plant Proteins

Emerging plant protein sources like soy, wheat, and pea protein offer certain challenges compared to more traditional protein sources like whey. Kushal Chandak, vice president of research and development for PURIS, for instance, notes that historically, formulators have associated pea protein with challenges like earthy flavors, grittiness, limited solubility, and functional tradeoffs compared to traditional proteins. However, many of these barriers are becoming less relevant as advances in breeding, processing, and ingredient innovation continue to improve plant protein performance.

“At PURIS, we’ve focused on addressing these challenges through innovations such as ClearP, a pea protein designed to deliver a clean taste and clear appearance in high-protein beverages,” Chandak says. “We also offer H2-IZO, which provides improved solubility and sensory performance for applications where texture and drinkability are critical. As food and beverage manufacturers navigate ongoing whey protein supply constraints and record ingredient costs, our new consumer research suggests plant proteins may be closing one of the category’s biggest gaps: taste.”

Protein Blends Help Improve Amino Acid Profile

Amino acid profiles remain an important consideration for protein product formulators; with some plant-based proteins not offering full amino acid profiles, it can be challenging to formulate a protein product that offers a complete amino acid profile. David Janow, CEO of Los Angeles’ Axiom Foods, notes that combining different plant proteins enables formulators to create protein products that offer a complete amino acid profile, enabling plant-based proteins to compete with a whey-based product.

“The benefit here is that plant-based proteins are made naturally, whereas whey proteins and collagens are made using very unnatural processes that give the customer a non-natural product,” Janow says. “Anywhere that whey, collagen, or casein are being used, you can use a plant protein to interchange with that particular animal-based protein.”

Thijs Bosch, CEO of The Protein Brewery in The Netherlands, says that many other formulators reach for a blend because they need to do so in order to create a complete protein. However, Bosch explains, The Protein Brewery’s branded Fermotein functions as a whole food in its own right, with 50% complete protein, 30% fiber, and bioactives such as spermidine and micronutrients baked in.

“We do see blending as a legitimate tool, and we expect it to unlock further formulation options over time,” he says. “More broadly, we think hybrid blends are a likely future direction for the category, with a shift away from chasing the single winning protein source to combining sources to build strong formulations that hit the mark on nutrition, sensory experience, and evidence-based outcomes.”

Market Opportunities Extend Beyond Active Nutrition

While the active nutrition market is plant protein’s primary demographic, there are several emerging opportunities for plant-based proteins in other niches. Bosch says that plant-based proteins are gaining ground in GLP-1 companion products, meat and dairy alternatives, healthy snacks, and meal replacements. In fact, a single-arm open-label pilot study on GLP-1 users found that plant-based protein supplementation effectively addresses the nutritional gap faced by GLP-1 users without exacerbating gastrointestinal symptoms, helping to mitigate the nutritional risks of muscle loss and gastrointestinal distress associated with GLP-1 use.²

Ng, meanwhile, says that faba bean protein is widely used in protein fortification, such as in baked goods and snacks. In some applications, faba bean protein’s emulsification and foaming properties enable it to replace eggs in plant-based mayonnaise or serve as a clean-label solution to reduce additives like emulsifiers.

Plant Proteins Set for Explosive Growth

The plant protein market is undergoing rapid expansion as more plant-based alternatives to whey, soy, and pea come to market. These plant protein sources are providing innovations in terms of digestibility, amino acid completeness, and taste that are making them more competitive in the active nutrition aisle.

Plant-based protein is expanding outside of workout products and is entering arenas such as GLP-1 support, healthy aging, and women’s health, meeting needs for consumers who fall outside of the traditional active nutrition market. As plant protein continues its meteoric rise, expect it to penetrate more verticals as studies prove out protein’s many overall health benefits.

References

1. Inanlar B, Capanoglu E. The rise of plant-based proteins: consumer perceptions and challenges. Food Sci Nutr. 2026;14(5):e71713. doi:10.1002/fsn3.71713
2. Withrow NA, Hsueh EE, Wolever T, et al. Plant-Based Nutrition Alleviates Gastrointestinal Symptoms and Enhances Protein Intake during GLP-1 Therapy. Curr Dev Nutr. 2026;10(7):109393.doi:10.1016/j.cdnut.2026.109393