BENEO is pleased to be celebrating the 10th anniversary of its plant-based vital wheat gluten protein – BeneoPro W. The occasion marks a decade of BENEO providing its high-quality and sustainably-sourced ingredient to the pet food sector, ensuring pets around the world benefit from healthier meal solutions.
Over the past 10 years, BENEO has supplied the pet food market with its vital wheat gluten, BeneoPro W. Derived from locally-produced wheat, the non-GMO ingredient has a protein density of approximately 82%, making it a highly concentrated, sustainable alternative to animal proteins. As well as having very attractive sustainability credentials, BeneoPro W is also known for its ease of digestibility compared to other commonly used animal and vegetable protein sources on the market.
Since its launch, the ingredient has proven very popular with pet food manufacturers and owners alike. Today, it is widely used in wet pet food and the fast-growing pouches market. As such BENEO has grown to become a top five global vital wheat gluten supplier.
Protein is a key ingredient for healthy pet nutrition and according to consumer research commissioned by BENEO, a product’s protein content is ‘always’ or ‘usually’ a consideration for 69% of pet owners. BeneoPro W has ‘food grade standard’ credentials and with quality a key driver for 41% of pet product purchases, it is an appealing plant-based protein alternative for many consumers.
As well as creating meals or chunks with a very similar texture to meat, BENEO’s vital wheat gluten protein also has a juicy consistency, due to its excellent water absorption capacity. BeneoPro W also has an interesting amino acid profile for pet food, as it is rich in both glutamine and tyrosine. Glutamine is the preferred fuel for intestinal cells that can help in damaged cells repair, while tyrosine plays an important role in maintaining fur colour.
Karel Thurman, Sales and Marketing Manager BENEO-Animal Nutrition, comments: “After 10 successful years on the market, we are very proud to be one of the leading suppliers for vital wheat gluten worldwide. However, even more important to us is the strong reputation we’ve gained amongst our customers for providing an excellent service through the reliable supply of our high-quality ingredient. We are looking forward to building on this success over the coming years by growing our business further, with a particular focus on expanding within both existing and new untapped markets around the world.”