Emsland Group launches pea flakes after snack trial nearly triples protein content

Emsland Group has introduced a whole yellow pea ingredient for snacks and bakery products after a baked snack formulation containing it delivered almost three times the protein and twice the fiber of the original recipe, according to the company.

• Whole yellow pea flakes target snacks and bakery.
• Ingredient contains approximately 23% protein and 15% fiber.
• Snack trial nearly tripled protein and doubled fiber.

The German ingredient manufacturer announced the launch of Empure EF 1000 on November 5. The thermally treated pea flake contains approximately 23% protein and 15% fiber on a dry matter basis and is intended to help manufacturers improve the nutritional profile of existing products or develop new recipes.

The baked snack application provided the main example of its performance. Emsland said the reformulated product retained the crisp texture, color and taste expected from a baked potato chip while qualifying for 'high in protein' and 'high in fiber' nutrition claims.

Those results relate to the finished snack formulation rather than the ingredient alone. The protein and fiber percentages supplied for Empure EF 1000 describe its composition on a dry matter basis, while the comparative improvements were measured against the original snack recipe.

“Healthy snacks have moved from niche to mainstream,” said Andre Heilemann, R&D Director at Emsland Group. “Empure EF 1000 gives our customers greater flexibility when developing products with higher protein and fiber content.”

The launch addresses a familiar product development challenge: raising protein and fiber content while preserving the characteristics that make a snack appealing. A nutritional improvement still has to work within a recipe that delivers the required flavor, appearance and texture, as well as meeting manufacturing and cost requirements.

Emsland identified that balance as a central consideration for the new ingredient. It said consumers wanted snacks that offered more nutritional value while remaining enjoyable and affordable, leaving manufacturers to consider processing efficiency and cost alongside the nutritional composition of their products.

The company is offering Empure EF 1000 as a flake made from whole yellow peas. Its stated purpose is to bring the peas’ natural nutritional profile into a format suitable for incorporation into snack and bakery formulations. Thermal treatment is part of the ingredient’s preparation.

For manufacturers considering reformulation, the baked snack example illustrates the application Emsland has tested: improving two nutritional measures within a product intended to retain recognizable potato chip characteristics. The company reported both higher protein and higher fiber, rather than presenting the ingredient solely as a means of adding protein.

The sensory results are also a significant part of the launch claims. Emsland said the resulting snack maintained its expected crispness, color and taste, attributes that can be affected when a formulation’s ingredient composition changes. The application therefore assessed the nutritional improvement alongside the finished product’s sensory properties.

However, the announcement did not disclose the inclusion rate of Empure EF 1000 in the snack, the full formulation or the absolute protein and fiber content of the original and reformulated products. It also did not describe the sensory assessment method.

That leaves the almost threefold protein increase and twofold fiber increase as relative measures for the application described. The announcement does not establish that the same increases would apply across other snack recipes or bakery products, which Emsland also identified as intended uses.

The company described the flake format as suitable for a variety of applications in those categories. Its proposed uses include nutritional enhancement of products already in a manufacturer’s range, as well as the development of new product concepts with higher protein and fiber content.

Empure EF 1000 joins Emsland’s existing portfolio of plant-based ingredients, which the company said offers different formats and functional properties for specific product and nutritional requirements. The new pea flake adds another format for developers to consider when selecting ingredients for a particular application.

Although the launch covers both snacks and bakery products, the performance figures released by Emsland came from the baked snack formulation. No separate bakery application results were included in the announcement.

Emsland said the ingredient was intended to combine nutritional benefits with appealing sensory properties and straightforward processing. The launch information did not provide detailed processing parameters or comparative manufacturing data, but emphasized flexibility in formulation as the basis for its use across the two product categories.

For the baked snack tested, the company’s reported outcome combined higher protein and fiber content, eligibility for the two nutrition claims, and retention of the texture, color and taste expected from the original product type.

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