Baking & Snack - February 2018 - 68

PLANT-BASED PROTEIN

Pea and soy proteins
are used to replace
higher-priced dairy
proteins in products
like bread, bars
and muffins.
Cargill

1.00, which cow's milk, casein, whey, eggs and soy
proteins all possess.
This is not to be confused with complete protein,
which defines those that contain all nine of the essential
amino acids and can be fully utilized by the body during
the protein synthesis. Animal proteins are complete as
are soy and quinoa. Most other plant proteins are not.
"Bakers can either develop products to increase the
total protein or choose to make a front-of-package claim
achieving a 'quality' protein statement," Mr. Gilbert said.
"To make a front-of-package claim, protein must be
calculated as a complete protein. This is an important
distinction, as many plant proteins are deficient in one
or more of the essential amino acids and are therefore
incomplete. To supplement for the lacking amino acids,
developers often need to blend proteins."
Pea protein, for example, contains all the essential
amino acids, but it is not complete because two of the
amino acids, methionine and cysteine, are limiting. This
means that these two essential amino acids combined
are present at less than 25 mg per 1 g crude protein, Mr.
Gilbert explained. Soy protein, on the other hand, is
complete because it contains all the essential amino acids at the appropriate levels.
"Blend the two ingredients together in just the right
ratio, and formulators can take advantage of the functional benefits of pea protein and still make complete
protein claims," he said.
"Good" or "excellent" source of protein claims refer to
the amount of complete protein in the product (5 g or
10 g per serving for each respective claim).

68 Baking & Snack February 2018 / www.bakingandsnack.com

"Cargill developed a 'good' source of protein bread
that delivers 5 g complete protein and 9 g total protein
by using a system of plant proteins and other proteincontaining ingredients," Mr. Gilbert said.

When to use wheat
If eliminating gluten is not part of a baker's plant protein
enhancing objective, then including wheat protein in a
blend should be considered.
"Wheat protein may help create an optimized finished
product," said Brook Carson, vice-president of product
development and marketing, Manildra Group USA.
"Wheat proteins are available with a range of functionalities, so you can really dial in on the texture and finished
product attributes."
For example, wheat proteins may improve the process
by optimizing dough rheology, both when the wheat protein is used alone or with other proteins, Ms. Carson added. Unlike other plant proteins, wheat proteins contain
gluten. Thus, not only do they boost protein content, but
they also contribute to the gluten network that produces
desirable texture and rise in many baked goods.
"There are many commercial examples of using wheat
proteins along with other protein types to boost content and optimize the potential for a protein claim," Ms.
Carson said. "If a non-wheat plant protein is used as the
primary protein source, I would recommend adding
wheat protein as a method to improve processing, rheology, taste and texture."
Wheat protein isolate, for example, provides a distinctive balance of elasticity and extensibility, making it

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