Alternative protein sources come from plants, recycled byproduct streams, fermentation processes, and cultivated cells. They are alternatives to conventional animal-derived proteins such as dairy, meat, and eggs. Examples and sources include:

• Plant based- soy, wheat, peas, beans and lentils (plant based)
• Upcycled ingredients- starch by-product  streams (potato, corn), fish stick water, brewers' spent grain, seed oil cakes (like sunflower and canola)
• Fermentation derived ingredients- biomass proteins (such as mycelium, fungi, and bacteria) and precision fermentation-derived proteins (including egg albumin, whey, and lactoferrin)
• Cellular agriculture using cultivated cells (such as bovine/beef, chicken, pork, fish, and crustaceans).

These proteins create alternative versions of traditional meat, dairy, and eggs and thus they must mimic the properties of animal proteins, like solubility, acid and heat tolerance, emulsification, gelation, and foaming. To the preserve the proteins’ sensitive functionality and nutrition, the production process must minimize denaturation from heat, chemicals, or mechanical stress and prevent contamination from solids, microorganisms, fat, and anti-nutritional factors.

Alternative proteins are an ideal solution against climate change, feeding the growing population, consumer choices and supply chain. The growing demand for this market reflects a shift towards flexitarian/plant-based and vegan diets, which is also driven by increasing awareness of their health benefits and importance as part of a nutritious and balanced lifestyle, animal welfare & ethics and greenhouse gas emissions concerns. Diversifying the food chain’s protein sources is critical to feed the growing population as the current sources are limited and not sustainable. As a result, the food and beverage industry is increasingly investing in resources and capabilities to take advantage of its continued growth and provide consumers with choices.

Pall has been an industry leader in providing membrane solutions for protein extraction, separation and purification for decades. The dairy industry has successfully isolated high-value proteins from milk using Pall membranes. Innovation has enabled Pall membrane processing, which is now being applied to alternative proteins. The use of membranes minimizes denaturation by avoiding chemicals and high temperatures.