The ingredient supplier said Chloroblast will be available for functional food and beverage application in mid-2022.
5 years in the making
Virentia spent over five years developing a patented industrial fractionation process that isolates, extracts and concentrates intact chloroplasts from alfalfa leaves without the use of any chemicals or harsh mechanical treatments, in order to maintain chloroplast integrity. The process also purifies the chloroplasts, removing phenolics and volatiles that could cause unpleasant odors and flavors, resulting in a concentrate that is easily suspendable in liquids.
The process allows Virentia to produce pure chloroplast suspensions that have a high omega-3:protein ratio.
A blast of protein
“Ingredients by Nature has a long history of supplying alfalfa ingredients, and we were very excited five years ago to learn about Virentia’s innovation in an ingredient category that hasn’t seen much change over the last decade,” said Rob Brewster, president of IBN. “ChloroBlast is one-of-a-kind, delivering a blast of vegetable protein along with a blast of nutritious chlorophyll, and we look forward to working with Virentia to improve functional food and beverage options on the market via this new ingredient.”
Profile
The ingredient consists of 52% protein and 6% omega-3 content, along with 30.5 mg of chlorophyll per gram of ChloroBlast. It also contains beta carotene along with vitamins and minerals.
IBN said the new offering is natural solution that meets consumer demands for cleaner ingredients and hopes ChloroBlast will replace the use of synthetic chlorophyll.
“ChloroBlast belongs in its own class of alfalfa concentrate, it stands above the rest and is comparable to high-value microalgae concentrates because of its high protein, antioxidant, pigment, phospholipid and micro-ingredient content,” said Dr. Louis Vezina, PhD, Virentia’s cofounder, vice-president and CSO. “We were impressed with IBN’s knowledge of alfalfa and alfalfa-derived products. We believe that partnering with them will help us achieve our vision
and push ChloroBlast in front of the right product formulators that want to offer consumers premium products that promote health and well-being.”
Sustainability
The chloroplast concentrate is a raw, organic, vegan and non-GMO product that is not spray dried at high temperatures. In addition to alfalfa being one of the most sustainable crops in the world, Virentia’s extraction process is fully sustainable because of its carbon-positive and no-waste manufacturing approach.
Formulators can learn more about ChloroBlast at SupplySide West, booth #4027.
