Tereos to produce food from plant proteins

A LEADER in the sugar, alcohol and starch markets, Tereos will start producing food based on plant proteins. The French company unveiled its pilot unit for this project in the presence of Christophe Sirugue, French Secretary of State for Industr and, Alexis Duval, CEO of Tereos. This unit, established  at  the  Tereos Marckolsheim  site  in  Alsace,  is  dedicated  to  the  product’s  first commercialization on the market of mass catering firms. 

Alexis Duval,  CEO  of  Tereos,  stated:  “The  inauguration  of  this  industrial  pilot  unit  is  an important step  in  the  work  Tereos  has  been  conducting  around  plant  proteins  for  many years. It demonstrates the Group’s great capacity to innovate and develop new products that cater for the world’s evolving food needs.”

Through this development, Tereos is determined to be part of the system that ensures the availability of protein for future consumption.  In a press release, the company cites that by 2025, the need for protein will double in relation to global population; animal proteins will no longer be able to meet demand.

Tereos dedicates nearly 50% of its R&D  budget to nutrition, and is the world’s  second-largest  producer of native wheat protein. As a long-standing player in this sector, Tereos has been making innovations in native wheat protein extraction for over 20 years.

Chickpea, among major sources of protein, is an ingredient in Tereo's "Le sauté végétal" (Photo: Dreamstime)

After a phase of research and development, this year Tereos is set to launch a pilot production unit, allowing initial commercialization on the  mass  catering  market.  This  new  product,  referred  to  as “GenVie”  during  its  development  phase,  will  be  commercialized  under  the  brand  name  “Le sauté végétal” on the mass catering market. 

Prepared in shredded form, “Le  sauté  végétal"  is  100%  plant-based,  and  composed  of  wheat proteins and chickpea flour,  all  from  French  agricultural  commodities.  Thanks to its patented process, which received an  award  at  the  French  “World  Innovation  Contest”  in  2015,  Tereos  has developed a healthy, tasty, easy-to-cook product that is ideal for all recipe types.