The new plant-based oil from pongamia trees, with a golden colour, slow melting curve, and high smoke point, will be accessible on the market by mid-2023 when Terviva collaborates with Ciranda.
Terviva, a California-based firm that sells goods produced from low-input, high-yielding pongamia trees, has teamed up with food ingredient supplier Ciranda to provide the first commercial supply of ‘Ponova’ oil by mid-2023. According to Terviva, Ponova oil, a mid-oleic oil derived from pongamia tree beans, has a golden colour and buttery flavour with nutty notes, a slow melting curve, and a high smoke point (437 degrees Fahrenheit). It can be used as a cooking oil or an ingredient in prepared foods ranging from meat and dairy substitutes to vegan mayo, spreads, baked goods, and more.
In the fridge, the oil is semi-solid and “similar to other vegetable oils such as canola and sunflower,” said the company, which promises to disclose more information on its manufacturing setup soon.
In the fridge, the oil is semi-solid and “similar to other vegetable oils such as canola and sunflower.” “According to the company, which is presently obtaining pongamia beans from India while establishing a domestic network of producers in Hawaii and Florida.
“In dairy replacements, Ponova oil provides a full-bodied texture and mouthfeel and performs like animal fat in plant-based applications with better textures and mouthfeel.” It can increase the fatty mouthfeel and juiciness of plant-based burgers as well as plant-based butters.”
Retail product also on cards
“The oil cooks well and lends a buttery flavour and texture, and if you swap it for sunflower oil in dairy substitutes, you get a more dairy-like experience,” said Chris Quevedo, head of enterprise sales, during the Expo West trade event earlier this year in USA. Because it has a similar profile to poultry fat, it works especially well in plant-based chicken.” When asked about pricing, the company stated, “Our objective is to sell the oil extremely competitively while accounting for the oil’s fundamental physical and functional properties.”” It is also being discussed in relation to a retail product: “We are in talks with a number of potential partners. It is too early to say whether anything will be done under the Terviva name or not.”
Pongamia protein and flour
When asked about other pongamia bean ingredients, the company stated, “We are pushing forward with flour and protein as independent ingredients, and have sent samples of both to a diverse range of potential partners, with continuous favourable reaction. The development durations, including GRAS, for wheat and protein differ from our initial product, Ponova oil.”
Pongamia (Ponova) protein isolates are gaining popularity due to their neutral taste, favourable PDCAAS score (.85) compared to other plant proteins, and high solubility, according to Quevedo, who added that application work is progressing in a variety of areas ranging from nutrition bars, beverages, and shakes to plant-based cheeses, yoghurts, and meat substitutes. “After the oil is extracted from the beans, what’s left is this type of cake, almost like a crude soy flour, which is upgraded into flour, and then we can manufacture concentrated protein components from that.”
“The flour extracted from pongamia beans has 35-40% protein, and the proteins are intact, providing outstanding functioning, and we can then extract protein isolates.” While there are an increasing variety of plant-based protein choices on the market today, Ponova protein offers three properties that are appealing to formulators, he says: “the solubility, the emulsification, and the neutral flavour.” It has an outstanding flavour when compared to other plant-based proteins, and formulators enjoy that it doesn’t require extra ingredients to help cover off flavours.”
Pongamia trees, often known as ‘vertical soy’ because they yield seeds high in protein and oil, have historically not been employed as a food crop due to anti-nutritional reasons. Terviva, on the other hand, has developed proprietary techniques for removing anti-nutritional components during processing, opening up new food and beverage market opportunities for the “incredibly robust” nitrogen-fixing crop that requires minimal inputs, according to Astwood in a recent interview.
“Because it is a leguminous tree, it fixes nitrogen and thrives in poor soils without fertiliser.” Furthermore, it is drought and flood tolerant; our head of agronomy calls to it as ‘jungle tough.’ It’s an amazing tree.” According to creator and CEO Naveen Sikka, pongamia trees generate substantially more biomass per acre than soybeans while using a fraction of the water, fertiliser, and pesticides.
An orchard of pongamia trees on idle agricultural land traps 115 metric tonnes of carbon per acre over 30 years, ranking it among the most sustainable sources of edible oil and plant protein, according to Sikka, who started Terviva in 2010 with Maggie Kavalaris, Anne Slaughter, and Joe Andrew.
Sourcing and capacity
While Terviva is currently sourcing pongamia beans from India as it establishes a domestic network of growers, the company has built an IP platform based on high-yielding pongamia trees combined with propagation techniques that deliver scalable, consistent crops in a variety of locations, including Florida (where it partners with fruit growers devastated by citrus greening disease) and Hawaii (on land previously dedicated to sugarcane), according to Sikka.
“In India, trees are produced without fertiliser or extra water, therefore they have zero input.” We attempt to do the same thing when we grow the trees in more typical agriculture settings like Florida and Hawaii, and most importantly, we don’t spray any pesticides on these trees, although we do apply a little additional fertiliser.” We have over 1,500 acres planted right now in the 2-4-year period of life [it takes approximately four years for the trees to begin producing beans for harvesting]. “We’re all about decarbonizing food and agriculture, creating climate-resilient food ingredients, and assisting communities with poor land quality.”
Regulatory status
According to Astwood, Terviva is putting together GRAS determinations for its components in order to join the US market, and is working through the applicable regulatory systems in numerous additional regions. “We’re in good shape, and we’ve already released the fundamental safety parts of the food and chemical toxicological evaluation.”