First-of-their-kind hemp and sunflower ingredients will provide food manufacturers with more protein

The demand for a wide variety of flavourful, affordable protein options is rising across Canada. This month Protein Industries Canada announced a new project to help meet the growing need for ingredients that will help meet this demand, with a co-investment with partners Burcon NutraScience, HPS Food & Ingredients and Puratos Canada.

Prioritizing functionality and taste,

Burcon is increasing the value of each hemp and sunflower flour by extracting hemp protein isolate, sunflower protein isolate and sunflower protein concentrate.

These first-in-the-market ingredients will meet the growing needs of food and beverage companies, as they work to provide Canadian consumers with a wide variety of nutritious, sustainable and flavour-neutral protein options.

In partnership with Burcon, HPS is assessing hemp crop varieties to determine which are best suited for the new ingredients, while also developing, commercializing and scaling the technology needed to process the hemp into the new ingredients. Further along the value chain, Puratos and Burcon will each focus on using the hemp and sunflower ingredients in new food and beverage products, particularly baking applications, beverages and meat alternatives.

A total of $6.9 million has been committed to the project, with Protein Industries Canada committing $3 million and the partners together committing the remainder. Projects such as these add value to, and create new markets for, Canadian crops, generating local jobs and supporting new economic development in locations across Canada.