Burcon NutraScience Corporation announced that it has developed an plant-based proteins for foods and beverages, announced that it has developed an economical, scalable process to extract high-purity protein ingredients from sunflower seeds for use in foods and beverages. Leveraging its core protein technology platform and expertise, Burcon has developed a proprietary extraction and purification process to convert sunflower meal, a by-product of the production of sunflower oil, into high-quality sunflower protein isolates that feature a neutral taste and off-white color. These unique properties make them ideal for use in a variety of valuable food applications, in particular those featuring delicate flavors.

Sunflower proteins currently on the market consist of concentrates in the range of 50-60% protein content, while Burcon's new sunflower protein isolates are greater than 90% pure protein. Like all Burcon proteins, sunflower proteins feature exceptional taste and functional attributes that can address many of the formulation challenges currently facing plant-based protein product developers as they address rising global consumer demands for protein-rich foods and beverages that have clean labels and are natural, tasty and more sustainable.