(Shutterstock)
Chickpea milk (Shutterstock)

Milk made from chickpeas provides another source of healthy protein to those with lactose intolerance, as well as vegans.

By United With Israel Staff

InnovoPro emerged as one of Israel’s most innovative food tech startups, pioneering a method to extract 70 percent of the protein from chickpeas. Following that breakthrough, the company introduced various vegan-friendly products to the market, including chickpea milk, which should be on the shelves by the end of 2019.

With the dairy-free milk market booming due to demand from those who are lactose intolerant or prefer an animal product-free vegan diet, InnovoPro believes that its high-protein, creamy, tasteful chickpea milk will be a hit.

Until now, dairy-free milks on the market were made from oats, almonds, rice and soy. Chickpea milk will be a welcome addition, as these tiny legumes are an inexpensive staple jam-packed with protein and fiber, making it a great vegan substitute for animal protein.

The chickpea has risen in popularity over the past decade, mainly due to the global availability of one of Israel’s most beloved foods, hummus. Additionally, consumers are increasingly concerned about sustainability and environmental issues, seeking to decrease their negative impact on the environment by cutting back or eliminating consumption of animal products.

“These consumers are looking for tasty, plant-based, healthy foods, which are high in protein and suit Mediterranean diets,” Taly Nechushtan, CEO of InnovoPro, told Food Ingredients First.

In fact, one of the biggest challenges since establishing InnovoPro has been to “increase production capacity fast enough to answer the market demand,” she continued.

By the year 2024, the vegan milk market is expected to reach about $38 billion in sales, according to market research firm Arizton.

Chickpea protein can also be used as an emulsifier and foaming agent for gluten-free and egg-free food products. “Chickpea protein is both light in color and subtle in flavor, making it the perfect ingredient for many applications in the food and beverage industry,” Nechushtan said.

InnovoPro’s chickpea production uses close to 100 percent of the product. Therefore, it is highly sustainable and produces zero-waste. It is also non-GMO (genetically modified) and chickpeas have no history of being an allergen.

The company recently received a “Seal of Excellence” from the European Commission reconginizng the high quality of its products.

In addition to chickpea milk, the company is developing other delicious and healthy food products such as a six ingredient vegan ice cream and crunchy, melt-in-your-mouth, gluten-free vegan chocolate chip cookies.