{"id":295,"date":"2022-10-13T13:06:00","date_gmt":"2022-10-13T13:06:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.innovationquarter.nl\/en\/?p=295"},"modified":"2026-06-12T09:25:15","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T09:25:15","slug":"proeon-and-the-next-generation-of-plant-based-protein","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.innovationquarter.nl\/en\/updates\/proeon-and-the-next-generation-of-plant-based-protein\/","title":{"rendered":"Proeon and the Next Generation of Plant Based Protein"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

International companies pioneering the protein transition in the greater Rotterdam-The Hague area.

There is an increasing demand for meat and dairy products around the world as global wealth rises. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimates that global consumption of meat proteins will grow by 14% by 2030<\/a>, on top of the fact that global meat consumption has more than doubled over the past three decades. The environmental impact of animal derived proteins are well documented and movements to find alternative protein sources are accelerating. How can we as a society meet the demand of billions while drastically reducing the environmental impact? The greater Rotterdam-The Hague area has become a hub of innovation for sustainable protein alternatives and is looking to lead the way in the newly termed \u2018protein transition<\/a>\u2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many international companies have recently relocated or set up subsidiaries in the region in order to benefit from the thriving ecosystem. We sat down with Ashish Korde<\/a> and Kevin Parekh<\/a>, both founders of Proeon<\/a> who recently made the move to the region and are developing innovations in plant based proteins and sustainable foods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Ashish<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Proeon was originally established in India and has recently started both an office and a lab in the Netherlands under the name Proeon Foods B.V. within Planet B.io<\/a> at the Biotech Campus in Delft. Their innovation is the next generation of plant based protein ingredients that are the building blocks and core ingredients of vegan products such as vegan eggs and plant based dairy products. Proeon\u2019s R&D begins with developing pure proteins, in other words the extraction of proteins. They assess different raw materials on criteria such as nutrition content, functionalities (like solubility, gelation, emulsification) and sensory profiles (taste, odor, color,mouthfeel) to see if they will be suitable for a new pure protein.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once a source  has been identified and extracted, it may not be perfect and will require changes to function as needed. Enzymes and other methods are then used to modify the proteins to achieve the desired results. One innovative ingredient is a protein isolate from mung bean that is supplied to manufacturers for plant based egg products. By taking the raw material, in this case mung bean, Proeon is able to \u201ccreate a highly purified protein\u201d<\/strong> Kevin shared with us. The manufacturers will then add spices and other ingredients to the protein isolate in order to create a product for end consumers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Opportunities in plant based protein<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After decades in the ingredients industry, Ashish and Kevin saw the coming trends and grew to understand \u201cthat there\u2019s a huge shift<\/strong> that is coming in global consumer preferences<\/strong>, where people want to eat plant based foods.\u201d  Kevin added that they don\u2019t want to compromise on the traditional experience of eating non-plant based products but \u201cthey want to eat something that\u2019s healthier, more sustainable, and more animal friendly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their motivating factors moving into the plant based protein<\/strong> field were the enormous market opportunities, the chance to do truly innovative work, and the massive environmental impact that they could accomplish. There are first generation products already on the market such as soy, wheat, and pea proteins. Proeon is focused on providing next generation proteins<\/strong> that are optimized for functionality for new products coming to the market that taste even better. They are using their experience and knowledge to add value to the protein transition as a whole. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe mission, the purpose, why we started was very clear. We want to make food more sustainable.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 Ashish Korde, Co-Founder at Proeon Foods<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t

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