Integra Foods explore protein export potential

Dublin-based Integra Foods has received $500,000 from the South Australian Government to support the company’s plans to export its faba bean protein products.

The funding will help Integra Foods, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Australian Grain Export, deliver a strategic Plant Protein Export Market Development Project.

The ingredient manufacturer has its production facility in Dublin and its head office in Adelaide.

The company makes proteins, starches, and flours from sustainably sourced and Australian-grown fava beans.

The Plant Protein Export Market Development Project will undertake collaborative research and development opportunities targeting various industries.

These include beverages, pet food, fortified foods and feed supplements.

Integra also plans to construct a laboratory at the company’s Dublin production facility.

This investment will assist in accelerating advancements in protein extraction methods and product quality.

“Integra Foods is proud to play a leading role in the development of Australia’s plant protein industry,” said Tim Martin, Managing Director, Integra Foods. “As a wholly-owned subsidiary of Australian Grain Export, the company has a proud history supporting South Australian growers with marketing their produce to the world.

“We now look forward to building on those strong foundations by creating more options for growers by value-adding and reducing the sole reliance on pricing into often saturated and competitive destination markets.”

Integra Foods will actively work to enter markets including Europe, North America and Australasia, collaborating with manufacturers, distributors and retailers across the supply chain.

To optimise the use of protein found in pulses such as faba beans, Integra Foods has invested in a unique process of protein shifting called dry fractionation.

The first of its kind in Australia, the company uses an environmentally friendly dry fractionating technique to separate the starches from the proteins in faba beans.

The outcome is protein rich and starch rich powdered concentrates that use 90 per cent less energy in the production process.

South Australia has some of the world’s best consistent agricultural and cropping regions and is renowned as a producer of global premium quality pulses (faba beans, chickpeas, lentils and lupins), grains (oats, wheat and barley) and has demonstrated hemp production capability.

The state produces 50 per cent of Australia’s lentils, has a 37 per cent share of faba beans and 37 per cent share of field peas and is a significant oat producer.

South Australia’s agribusiness, manufacturing and artificial intelligence innovation precincts provide a strong foundation for developing ground-breaking food products and plant protein processing technologies that respond to a variety of consumer tastes and needs.