LENTEIN™ Complete from Parabel – a protein powder extracted from water lentils
Water Lentils, or Duckweed, is a very promising source of plant-based protein, that meets the contemporary market demands of natural and healthy ingredients. This, in combination with the fact that water lentils double their biomass in 24-36 hours and can be harvested daily, makes Parabel’s LENTEIN™, a highly interesting plant-based protein in Barentz’ portfolio.
LENTEIN™ is extracted from the plant Lemnoideae – a plant that has been eaten whole for thousands of years. Lemonidae is a subfamily of tiny, bright green, aquatic plants that grow on top of stagnant water nearly all over the world.
LENTEIN™ Complete, Parabel’s first product, is a protein powder high in nutrition and dietary fibres. It can be formulated in dry-mix goods like chips, crackers, snack-mixes, bars and cereal clusters and since it is finely dispersible it also mixes very well into protein shakes, sports drinks or meal replacements.
LENTEIN™ Complete has a protein content of 45-50% on dry matter as well as many additional vitamins, minerals and other macro and micro nutrients. Its amino acid profile contains higher levels of essential and branched chain amino acids than any other plant protein, even soy and pea, with a PDCAAS score of 0.93. The amino acid profile is similar to that of whey. It also contains Omega 3, chlorophyll, polyphenols and is high in antioxidants.
A cost-effective sustainable production facility
Parabel’s production facility in Fellsmere, Florida, is optimized to guarantee a per acre yield of protein higher than that of any other crop, including soy. This is Parabel’s first facility and when in full operation it will have a production capacity of around 5,000 ton protein yearly.
Sustainability is of prime importance at Parabel, that grows a crop with a significantly lower carbon footprint and water use than other similar foods. They use an open hydroponic system with crops harvested daily using Parabel’s proprietary and patented cultivation system. 98% of the water in the system is reused. No genetically modified seeds or chemicals are used in the processing of the crop and due to the mild processing, the functionality in the protein and nutrients stays intact.
Parabel’s patented cultivation system is easily scalable and the company is already busy scaling-up with a second plant. The long-term plan is to have several more plants in operation in 2018 with a capacity of 15,000 ton protein yearly. We will be seeing a lot of different LENTEIN™ protein ingredients, at various protein concentrations, for both food and feed, introduced over the coming years.
Free from and natural claims
Alternative proteins are growing enormously in popularity, as part of the quest for natural origin, and plant-protein fits right into this trend. When choosing a protein, the producer will not only look to nutrition, functionality and price but also to the sort of content label declaration and front of pack communication of the end products. Because of its natural origin and the environmentally friendly production method, the basic claims of natural and sustainable are met, but LENTEIN™ also fulfills many of the other popular requests such as non-GMO, allergen-free, soy-free, lactose-free and gluten-free.
LENTEIN™ Complete is suitable for products targeting consumers looking for healthier alternatives, and in products supporting muscle growth, weight management or satiety.
Parabel has achieved self-affirmed GRAS in the US and is in the process of regulatory approval in the EU – the Novel Foods Regulation.
The Green Gold
Lemnoideae, the world’s smallest flowering plant, growing on top of still water, has been eaten whole, in its original form, for thousands of years, particularly in Burma, Laos and Thailand. It is regarded as highly nutritious and referred to as “Eggs of the Water” and “Green Gold”.
Parabel has quickly grown into the leading company for the extraction of protein from water lentils. Barentz has an exclusive, world-wide distribution agreement with Parabel.