Protein is critical for human existence. Our hair and nails are made up primarily of protein. Our bodies use protein to build and repair tissues. Protein is an important building block for our muscles, cartilage, bones, skin, blood, enzymes, and hormones. In other words, it’s safe to say that protein is “good” for us.
Ever increasing consumption of animal proteins such as beef, chicken, pork, and fish presents an ecological problem, one that consumers are growing more aware of.
Growing in popularity are plant-based options that provide healthier alternatives that are also far more sustainable. Lentils, chickpeas, most varieties of beans, green peas, spirulina (blue-green algae), and gains such as quinoa, are all excellent sources of proteins, as well as various amino acids our bodies also need for growth and repair.
It’s not surprising then, that environmentally aware and health-conscious consumers are switching to vegan or vegetarian diets.
Food manufacturers are taking note of this trend and are looking for better ways to make plant-based products available in a variety of forms. For example, some companies are developing ways to make protein flours from legumes and beans that are high in protein. These protein flours are increasingly being used as a substitute for high-carbohydrate flours to make a variety of pastas that have low glycemic indexes.
This is where ST Equipment & Technology can help revolutionize this new product base. Using our proprietary triboelectrostatic separation process, we can maximize the protein purity from a variety of plant sources, without compromising the protein functionality.
More importantly, it can process large quantities of materials at a high rate of speed, producing a wide variety of grades from your feed stream, resulting in a greater amount of useful materials while cutting down on waste. Further, it’s a dry separation process so no fresh water source is necessary, making it easy to process materials right on site.