Acid and heat-stable organic sweet pulse proteins for beverages

Overview

This offering is a patented organic protein isolation process that yields sweet-tasting lentil proteins engineered to remain soluble across acidic (pH 2–5) and alkaline (pH 7–9) conditions at 25–50 °C. The proteins also withstand retort treatment at 110–128 °C and pressures up to 30 psi, delivering shelf-stable liquid protein solutions with more than 12 months of stability, retained color and flavor, and "natural source" labeling appeal. The technology targets the beverage and functional food markets, where clean-label plant proteins that mix cleanly and taste pleasant are in high demand. Compared with many commercial plant proteins, the isolates are balanced in essential amino acids, highly digestible, free of agricultural residues, and produced without added sodium or chlorides.

Technical specifications

• Three inventions bundled: an organic protein isolation process, prebiotic carbohydrate enrichment, and liquid protein-plus-carbohydrate systems for beverages.
• pH and temperature stability: proteins remain in solution across acidic (pH 2–5) and alkaline (pH 7–9) ranges at 25–50 °C.
• Thermal resilience: solutions survive retort conditions of 110–128 °C at up to 30 psi without precipitation.
• Shelf life: liquid protein solutions remain stable for more than 12 months, retaining color and flavor.
• Clean-label profile: organic, natural source, no added sodium or chlorides, free of agricultural residues, balanced essential amino acids, high digestibility.
• Mixability advantage: unlike several commercial market proteins, these isolates mix homogeneously in water, even after dual asymmetric centrifuge mixing at 3,500 rpm for 5 minutes.
• IP status: USPTO patent applications 63/106,015 and 63/481,907 covering methods of isolating plant protein and related compositions.
• Application formats: liquid (e.g., milk-style beverages), semi-solid (e.g., yogurt), and solid (e.g., burgers) food systems.

Technology readiness level

The core isolation process is patented and has been demonstrated in initial experiments producing shelf-stable protein solutions. Planned funded work will characterize the specific sweet proteins, optimize isolation and purification for liquid and semi-solid food applications, and identify the best lentil genotypes for flavor. Future validation is expected to deliver molecular structural detail that supports efficient commercial production of red lentil sweet protein isolates and concentrates for beverage applications.