Sport Nutrition

It’s commonly believed that athletes require more protein than the general population. With high levels of fiber and protein, Canadian yellow peas offer remarkable potential for use in energy bars, protein shakes and other sports nutrition products.

The Power of Pea Protein

The primary role of dietary proteins is for use in various anabolic processes of the body. As a result, many athletes and coaches believe that high intensity training creates a greater protein requirement. This stems from the notion that if more protein or amino acids are available to the exercising muscle, it would enhance protein synthesis.

Although the American Dietetic Association (ADA) maintains that sufficient nutrition for physical fitness and athletic performance can be met through diet, many athletes choose to consume protein- and amino acid-enhanced foods and dietary supplements. In recent years, consumers have turned to vegetable proteins to enhance athletic performance in everything from meal replacement bars to athletic beverages. Low in fat and high in protein, starch, fiber, vitamins and minerals, yellow peas offer remarkable potential for the development of sports nutrition products.

Propulse™ Pea Protein offers product designers an easy means of vegetable protein enrichment. As a nutritional supplement, Propulse can work well in applications where soy and whey proteins are currently used, including power beverages and nutrition bars.

Why Propulse

The Amino Acid Angle

For proteins to be used by the body, they need to be metabolized into their simplest form — amino acids. Propulse satisfies nearly all FAO essential amino acid requirements. Pea protein is rich in branched chain amino acids, which have become of particular interest in sports formulations due to recent research demonstrating their potential in muscle tissue maintenance and recovery.

Applications At-A-Glance

• Athletic shakes
• Energy bars

Athletic & Protein Shakes

Offering a thin, non-gelling viscosity and low-dust formulation, Propulse is ideal for liquid systems like pre-made power beverages and dry mixes for protein shakes alike. When used in athletic power beverages, Propulse can be used up to 20%.

Energy bars

Propulse can be used as protein enrichment in energy bars at levels up to 25%. Not only does it improve the nutritional profile of sports and health bars, but Propulse also extends shelf life by preventing bar hardening.

Fiber derived from Canadian yellow peas can also be incorporated into energy bars. Centara™ Pea Hull Fiber and Uptake 80™ Pea Cell Wall Fiber are our two proprietary pea fibers that can provide food designers with a concentrated source for fiber enrichment and fortification. Centara specifically can be used at 5-9% in unbaked cereal bars.