Demand for Plant Protein and Other Protein Ingredients High in Europe

 

Protein ingredients are used in many hair care products. Scientists have developed new sources of protein and have created new modified forms of protein to improve their efficiency and performance. Now, nearly every hair product on the market contains proteins. The most common types of protein are called isoflavones and they are most often found in shampoos, conditioners, hair dyes and other similar products.

Soy protein isolate is a unique protein isolate that is derived from the soy bean. It's made up of soybean meal, which has been de-hulled and then defatted. De-hulling removes any outer coating that could interfere with the digestion of the protein. Defatted soy beans are further processed into three different types of natural protein products: natural concentrate, soy protein isolate, and soy protein hydrolysates. Each type of protein isolate has its own distinctive processing method. Let's look at each of these individually.

The demand for plant protein is high in Europe. For instance, according to European Commission’s Report from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament on the Development of Plant Proteins in the European Union; European Commission: Brussels, Belgium, 2018, the consumption of plant protein witnessed the annual growth rates of 14% and 11% for meat and dairy alternatives, respectively. Moreover, increasing preference for vegan food is expected to boost demand for plant proteins in Europe. For instance, according to The Vegan Society, the number of people consuming only vegetarian food in the U.K. increased from 276,000 in 2016 to 600,000 in 2019.

Increasing number of households with pets is expected to boost demand for protein ingredients. According to 2017-2018 U.S. Pet Ownership & Demographics Sourcebook of American Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVMF), 38.4% of household in the U.S. owned dogs compared to 36.5% in 2012. In October 2020, Flint Hills Resources, an ethanol ingredient supplier, begun shipping its NexPro protein ingredient to pet food and animal feed manufacturers globally.