EDEN PRAIRIE, MINN.  — The Upcycled Food Association has certified plant protein ingredient company Apparo with the Upcycled Certified classification for its Solistein sunflower seed protein isolates. With its Total Crop Utilization program, Apparo is processing sunflower seeds to recover additional nutrition for human application.

“Both of our Solistein proteins are over 90% protein,” said Ian Mackay, chief executive officer of Apparo. “The Solistein 001 has a sweet taste, and Solistein 002 has a neutral flavor. These options are true game changers that we believe will take plant-based products to the next level in terms of flavor opportunities.

“We are diverting crop resources from animal feed to human food, thereby sustainably redirecting existing nutritional resources for human use. We chose to work with sunflower seeds because they are a major global crop and a resource that can be scaled much more rapidly than many other protein sources in development. This will therefore have a more rapid and impactful sustainability effect with regards to scale and speed-to-market.” 

Commercial production is scheduled to begin in the third quarter of 2023, in quantities for limited product launches, and product and application development.