Uralchem Innovation

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2021: Investing 300 million rubles in the production of Russia's first vegetable protein from peas

Uralchem will invest 300 million rubles in the production of the first Russian pea protein in Russia. This became known in mid-July 2021.

According to Forbes, citing Azat Gafarov, CEO of Uralchem Innovation (a subsidiary of Uralchem), the indicated amount was spent on creating a pilot plant for deep processing of yellow peas, the main target product will be pea isolate (purified plant protein) with a protein content of more than 80%.

Uralchem invests 300 million rubles in the production of Russia's first vegetable protein from peas

Gafarov said that the plant for the production of pea flour isolate by extraction with a capacity of 200 kg/h will be launched by the end of 2021 in Skolkovo. By mid-July 2021, Uralchem is negotiating cooperation with partners, mainly with research institutes, he added.

Uralchem, in collaboration with the Skolkovo Foundation, decided to hold a competition: they are looking for startups capable of creating plant raw materials from yellow peas. The winners will receive investments to begin development together with Uralchem Innovation.

Pea isolate is considered one of the most promising types of vegetable protein for artificial meat and sports nutrition. According to analysts of Markets and Markets, in 2020 the global market for these raw materials amounted to 230,000 tons or $750 million. Experts predict that the average annual market growth rate over five years will be 13.5%.

The direction for business is promising, a lot of peas are grown in Russia, but very little is being done in terms of deep processing, said Alexander Kiselev, director and co-founder of Welldone (produces cutlets and mince based on soybean protein and vegetable oils). By mid-July 2021, only imported pea isolate can be bought in Russia, but the price of it bites, since pea protein costs twice as much as soy, he noted.^[1]

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