It likely comes as no surprise that our thoughts on maintaining a healthy lifestyle have changed following the pandemic. It is estimated that 85 percent of consumers have changed their eating habits, and among those estimated changes is a conscious effort to eat more protein. Why? Consumers report a desire for a more balanced diet, and they’re looking to satisfy their hunger throughout the day. Consumers are also paying attention to where their protein comes from and they are increasingly looking to plant-based protein sources including soy, pea, hemp, rice, and more. Consumption of plant-based foods is on the rise. In 2020, plant-based foods grew more than twice as fast as the whole segment. But is it better? And how much protein do consumers even need? How can product developers navigate all of these questions when it comes to the science of protein nutrition to create compelling foods and dietary supplements for this expanding consumer base? It makes sense to set the stage. In human nutrition, dietary protein is a macronutrient made of a combination of 20 amino acids, some of which are classified as essential, meaning they cannot be made by the human body in adequate amounts to meet demand, and therefore must be obtained in the diet. The amino acids that make up dietary protein serve critical roles in human health. The amino acids found in dietary protein serve as the major structural component throughout the body – ranging from enzymes with highly specialized functions to lean muscle mass. Amino acids also serve as the starting raw materials for countless other molecules in the body and can act as a source of energy that contributes to daily calorie needs.

What looks like a simple chocolate chip in a cookie or a swirl in ice cream is, for food manufacturers, one of the most decisive factors in product success. Inclusions must survive the extremes of baking and freezing, run with less fat to meet consumer demand and deliver identical results batch after batch. But most chocolate manufacturers who supply these chocolate inclusions still rely on equipment that was never designed for this purpose. For instance, Bühler’s machines, the global gold standard, are optimized for traditional chocolate products, like bars, pralines, and molded pieces, where higher fat content is the norm. When those same systems are pushed into producing lowfat inclusions, the chocolate no longer holds its form. Nutriart changes the equation. By taking Bühler’s proven equipment as a foundation and re-engineering it with proprietary modifications, from moisture-reducing roasters to refiners with live quality sensors, it has created a process purpose-built for inclusions. The result is chocolate that runs leaner on fat without sacrificing efficiency, delivering the kind of industrial consistency that food manufacturers can count on, run after run. Stripping out excess moisture during roasting is the key. It produces a drier cocoa liquor that stays fluid with less fat, making low-fat inclusions not only possible but practical at scale. Paired with live monitoring of viscosity and particle size, Nutriart ensures every batch meets specification precisely, aligning chocolate with consumer demand for healthier recipes while giving manufacturers a true competitive edge. “We make an immediate difference when food manufacturers come to us after struggling with chocolate that burns, melts away or leaks during baking. Our inclusions perform exactly as they should, so fewer batches are rejected in quality control, and consumers experience the same dependable quality in every bite,” says Jean Phillipe Leclerc, CEO. Sustaining that advantage demands automation at the core. Chocolate quality ultimately depends on three critical variables; fat content, particle size and viscosity, which Nutriart calls the triangle of quality. While most plants measure these factors intermittently, Nutriart automates the process from start to finish. Infrared spectrometers keep fat precisely on target, laser sensors embedded in refiners monitor particle size continuously and a patent-pending system adjusts viscosity live during conching. The integrated control loop guarantees that every batch meets specifications exactly, delivering the operational consistency manufacturers rely on while protecting both cost efficiency and product performance. .