Plant protein powder is made through a process that isolates the protein from various plant sources. Here's a detailed explanation focusing on the specific process used for pea protein, as per the provided reference:
Pea Protein Powder Production
The process of making pea protein powder involves a few key steps:
- Milling:
- The process begins with removing the outer shell of the pea.
- The remaining part of the pea is then milled into a fine flour.
- Separation:
- This flour undergoes a filtration process to separate the different components.
- The fibre and starch are removed, leaving behind a protein-rich liquid.
- Distillation:
- The liquid is then distilled to produce a white precipitate.
- This precipitate is the concentrated protein.
- Powdering:
- The precipitate is dried, resulting in the fine powder that is sold as pea protein isolate.
Summary of Pea Protein Production
| Step | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Milling | Outer shell removed, pea milled into flour | Pea flour |
| 2. Separation | Flour filtered to separate fiber and starch | Protein-rich liquid |
| 3. Distillation | Liquid distilled to obtain white precipitate | Concentrated protein precipitate |
| 4. Powdering | Precipitate dried to create powder | Pea protein isolate powder |
Other Plant Protein Sources
While the reference focuses on pea protein, many other plant sources are used for protein powders, each with slight variations in processing:
- Soy Protein: Often extracted from soybeans using similar milling, extraction, and drying processes.
- Rice Protein: Processed from brown rice, involving enzyme treatments to separate the protein.
- Hemp Protein: Derived from hemp seeds through cold-pressing and milling.
- Sunflower Seed Protein: The seed is pressed to extract the oil, then the remaining protein-rich portion is processed into a powder.
Key Takeaway
The core process for making plant protein powder involves separating the protein from the other components of the plant source using a combination of milling, filtration, distillation and drying techniques, with specific methods depending on the type of plant source being used. This results in a concentrated form of plant-based protein that is easy to use.
