ProtaSTAR®: a premium potato protein solution for pet food

September 26 2024 - News

Although mainly known as a nutritious food for human consumption, potatoes have great potential as a beneficial plant-based protein source for pets as well. To get the most out of the vegetable for this purpose, IQI’s new partner Avebe developed a patented process with an additional step for purification and refining. The resulting product, ProtaSTAR®, serves as a cornerstone for balanced hybrid or vegetarian pet food to keep cats and dogs healthy. 

“ProtaSTAR® is without a doubt one of the most versatile and sustainable protein solutions in our portfolio”, says Geert van der Velden, IQI’s innovation manager. “Since the anti-nutritional factors typical for potatoes are removed in Avebe’s patented process, the product has an even higher protein efficiency ratio (PER) than regular potato protein. Research shows that ProtaSTAR® equals reference protein sources such as beef, pork, chicken, pollock, salmon in terms of digestibility and protein quality, while outperforming other concentrated plant protein sources such as soybean meal, pea, and corn.” 

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Asked for other beneficial features that ProtaSTAR® offers, Geert adds that in vitro digestibility tests show a calculated ileal nitrogen digestibility of over 88%.  “And there is more. The product has an extremely low ash content of 0,8% on dry matter and a complete amino acid profile. The product’s proven good palatability is the result of the significantly lower content of total glycoalkoloids  (TGA’s) as compared to regular potato protein. ProtaSTAR®’s low TGA content also makes it safe to use in higher doses. I urge anyone who’s curious to download our product leaflet on ProtaSTAR®, in which we provide more technical explanation on the benefits of this great new ingredients.” 

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Would you like to hear more about IQI’s innovative and sustainable plant-based protein sources, such as ProtaSTAR®? Don’t hesitate to contact us. We are happy to discuss the possibilities that our portfolio offers for you.