How Culinarians Leverage Protein Across Categories
Protein has become a driving force behind how consumers choose, prepare, and experience food. According to the International Food Information Council, 59% of Americans said they tried to consume protein in 2022. By 2025, that number climbed to 70%, signaling a major shift in everyday eating habits and expectations. What’s changed isn’t just how much protein consumers want, but where and how they expect to find it.
Today’s protein-forward mindset is pushing innovation far beyond traditional center-of-the-plate applications. From sauces and seasonings to snacks, beverages, and desserts, culinary and research and development departments are rethinking protein as a flexible, functional ingredient that can enhance nutrition without compromising flavor, texture, or enjoyment.
The New Wave of Functional and Clean Proteins
Protein application itself is transforming—thanks to the rise of functional and clean protein sources.
Functional protein refers to protein sources that go beyond the basic health benefits of protein, adding nutritious value with vitamins, fiber, prebiotics, and more. For example, Aldi’s Plant Menu Gut Health Burger carries prebiotic chicory root fiber for digestive wellness, while Meati Foods’ Original Breakfast Patties provide complete protein and heart health support.
Clean proteins are protein sources made with simple ingredients, minimal processing, and transparent sourcing. Products like The Gym Kitchen’s High Protein Hard Boiled Eggs highlight the protein of real, recognizable foods. This can appeal to health-conscious consumers who seek both quality and authenticity from their food.
But recent protein innovations go deeper than leveraging protein as an entree—recent strides in protein applications have brought protein into virtually every category of food.
4 Emerging Frontiers in Protein Innovation
Today, food developers are finding new ways to deliver protein across formats, flavors, and eating occasions—often in places consumers don’t expect. Below are four emerging approaches reshaping how and where protein shows up.
1. Sauces Are Carriers for Nutrition
Sauces and dressings are evolving from mere flavor enhancers to functional vehicles for nutrition, with many developers adding protein to boost nutritional value.
When adding protein to sauces and dressings, food manufacturers must consider the order of addition, according to Daniel Ryan, Global Director of Alternative Proteins – Culinary at Griffith Foods.
“Sometimes protein can be blended into the aqueous solution to prevent clumping or dry-blended with other ingredients as dry matter for better dispersibility. Scorching or sticking during the heat phase can be a concern, but slight agitation can help reduce that problem.”
Beyond fortification, sauces can play a crucial role in encouraging healthy eating. Sweet and spicy sauces, for instance, are used to improve the palatability of nutrient-dense foods like vegetables and grains, making them more appealing across different demographics.
2. Alternative Proteins Are Improving Texture
Alternative proteins, including mimetic meats and plant-based proteins, offer new ways protein can show up in virtually any format. However, protein texture is frequently cited as a major barrier to alternative protein adoption. Recent innovations have made the texture of plant-based proteins much more easily influenced by many factors, according to Daniel Ryan.
“Water content, protein function, fat, types of fat, hydrocolloids or functional ingredients, and even additional processing techniques like coatings can also influence the texture.”
Versaterra™, a plant-based protein platform, is a new innovation from Griffith Foods that’s designed to bring a satisfying protein texture to any dish. Its neutral flavor means it can integrate seamlessly into virtually any cuisine, cooking style, and flavor profile.
3. Seasonings Offer Additional Protein Content
Seasonings are being reimagined as a method to deliver protein in unexpected formats. For example, many snacks add protein to their seasoning blend, allowing consumers to get a nutritional boost from protein-fortified foods such as tortilla-style chips and pretzels.
Practical applications of protein seasonings include:
- Dry Rubs: Rub these seasonings onto meat, fish, alternative proteins, and veggies before they are cooked to enhance flavor while boosting protein content.
- Coatings: Mix protein seasoning into the batter of a crispy coating to gain greater nutritional value to the surface layer of a dish.
- Finishing Seasoning: Sprinkle protein seasoning right before service to provide visual intrigue and a punch of flavor.
With protein seasonings, consumers gain nutritional benefits from familiar foods, without needing to change habits or seek specialized products. These seasonings can also add essential amino acids to foods, making plant-based protein dishes more complete.
4. Unique Formulations Combat Undesirable Flavors
Fortifying foods with protein isn’t a simple nutritional solution—at least from a taste perspective. Adding protein can create undesirable flavors, requiring manufacturers to innovate how to maintain a balance between added nutrition and maintained flavor. Some emerging strategies include:
- Acidification: Acids have long been used to tenderize animal proteins and infuse them with flavor in marinades. Acidification can also be a tool to reduce the bitterness of plant proteins, as well as salt levels.
- Fermentation: Various fermentative approaches—yeast extracts, soy sauces, garums—can all mask, drive, or enhance flavors.
- Reduction of Undesirable Flavor Compounds: Much research has been done to go beyond flavor masking and minimize the impact of undesirable flavor compounds entirely, particularly in plant-based proteins. The process requires an understanding of flavor at a molecular level, identifying specific compounds leading to the undesirable taste and binding them with other compounds to mitigate unwanted flavors.
Protein in Unexpected Places
As you can likely guess, the above innovations have made it remarkably easier to add protein into unexpected places.
- Desserts: Tuff Pops protein ice cream delivers 12 grams of protein per ice cream bar, enriching desserts with the essential macronutrient.
- Coffee: Protein fortified beverages, such as Mais1 Cafe’s Wheypuccino, are growing in popularity. According to a recent report from Innova, the number of high protein drinks grew by 122% from 2020 to 2024.
- Popcorn: Khloud Protein Popcorn offers 7 grams of protein per serving thanks to pea protein used in the seasoning blend.
- Pizza: Brands like Vital Pursuit are putting more protein and fiber into their pizza, supporting improved satiety and nutrition.
Building the Future of Protein
As protein consumption continues to rise, the most successful innovations are those that treat protein not as an add-on, but as an integrated part of the eating experience. It’s about adding smarter ingredients, creating foods that work harder, taste better, and fit seamlessly into how people eat today.
If you’d like to learn more about the latest in protein trends, start by learning what’s propelling the craze in our article: Discover What’s Driving the Latest Protein Craze.
