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June 4, 2012 2:27 PM Subscribe
The Great Pea Protein Catastrophe of 2012 - Halp! Any Food Processing Engineers in the house? Alien Life Combat Specialists?
For well over a decade now, I have consumed a mixture of the following, in a kind of "breakfast soup":
1) 1 tbsp of psyllium husk powder + 1tsp TJ's psyllium husks
2) 1tbsp of ground flax seed
3) 1tbsp of brewers (nutritional) yeast
4) 1tbsp of oat bran - I get the TJ's one (note: this is just the bran, not oats)
5) protein powder - 60 grams worth of protein content from whey protein concentrate/isolate mixture
6)Mix the powders with a spoon, 30 seconds or so until blended
7)Anywhere from 1.5 to 2 cups of water - mix until the powder fully dissolves
8) Add 1 tbsp of non-fat yoghurt with live culture (I buy TJ's)
9) Pinch of powdered taurine (about 3 grams)
This has worked very well, the prep is just a few minutes (about 5), and the consistency is nice, pretty liquid, even with only 1.5 cup of water.
However, I'm not super happy with the whey concentrate protein, and much prefer the amino acid profile of pea protein. So, my idea was to substitute the whey with the pea and keep everything else the same. I made a couple of attempts in the past with various pea protein powders, but the result was failure for various reasons, whether taste or solubility. Some time ago, I heard through the grapevine that my favorite online vendor for protein powders just reformulated their pea protein for solubility. So I ordered a cautious 1lb.
The pea protein in question: Gemma Pea Protein Isolate non-GMO
This morning I attempted to prepare my usual morning mix, substituting the whey concentrate/isolate with an equivalent amount of the above linked pea protein (equivalent in protein content in grams).
Disaster. Complete and utter disaster on a scale defying imagination. I'm still in shock.
The pea protein turned this mixture into some kind of futuristic weapon or possibly an alien technology. The sci-fi horror started with the pea protein itself - merely opening the plastic jug stopped my heart - the protein is not a uniform powder, instead it spontaneously clumps into discreet lumps like a box of coals... I had a baaad feeling about this. I put the plastic scoop in, and gathered some of this substance, but when I attempted to put it into a bowl, it would cling to the scoop with superglue strength. I dislodged it from inside the scoop, but it would cling onto the outside of the scoop like an alien life form. It's not a nice flowing powder, but some kind of clumping powder that shape-shifts.
But I suppress my panic and forge ahead. It's in the bowl, atop all the other powders. I put the spoon in and attempt to mix all the powders like usual. But no, the pea powder will have none of it. I moves about, refusing to interact with the other powders; I redouble the speed and force of the spoon, and ever so reluctantly the pea powder breaks up into smaller clumps and wanders about in the bowl, but doesn't really mix with the other powders, it merely floats in a series of smaller and smaller clumps as I relentlessly spin the spoon. After a few minutes of this, exhausted, I stop. The clumps are by now so small and numerous, that I reluctantly call it "mixed", even though I know in my heart that the pea protein has merely dispersed its troops among the other powders and is bidding its time instead of being in a genuine friendly mix. It's a standoff.
With a feeling of impending doom, I gradually pour in the water, 1.5 cups - an amount that is perfectly adequate, in that with the old mixture, I was able to put in as little as under 1 cup of water and it would mix fine, a bit thicker, but still flowing perfectly well. As I pour, I mix with the spoon. But now, all hell breaks loose. The mixture rears up like an alien beast on its hind legs and races up the spoon as I try to mix it - within seconds I have a congealed pyramid centered around my spoon, resting in the bowl, and the tip of the spoon protruding from the top. I recoil in horror. It doesn't even look moist. It's like some kind of evil cement.
OK, war. But in my experiences with pea protein before, in the old formulation, the pea protein would simply not dissolve, instead stay in dry balls that bobbed about in the water. I was advised by old salts whom I consulted, to nuke it from orbit - use an industrial strength blender to atomize the powder in the water. I bought the device recommended, the CSB-76BC rated at 200 Watts.
Now, I scraped, as best I could, the congealed glob of pea protein mixture into a tall container. It was quite a battle in itself, smaller blobs flying off onto the counter, the floor, clinging to the bowl, spoon, everything around it. But I got like 90% of it in. I poured another cup of water, inserted the CSB-76BC, and turned it on. Now, this blender is so powerful that it's served well in our kitchen, atomizing everything from tough veggies, fibrous pineapples, ice, what have you - anything you'd throw at it, it would pulverize with ease. But here, it spun like crazy, and seemed to have made a neat tunnel in the glob, but not much in the way of taming the glob and making it flow. I'm now at 2.5 cups of water poured in, and it's still cement! Whereas before, with whey, as little as 1 cup would do it! I go ahead and pour another cup. I'm now at 3.5 cups of water. The CSB-76BC whirrs on full power, I'm bearing down with both hands. Nothing. The blob remains a blob. It's absorbed the water like it was nothing. In desperation, I pour in yet ANOTHER cup - now at 4.5 cups of water, VROOOM - and nothing... the blob absorbs the water instantaneously like the Great White in Jaws, it takes not only the bait but the buoys down with a force so great, you realize you have a monster on your hands. I could keep pouring water in, but to what end - it's not like I'll be able to consume 5 gallons of "breakfast soup", when I'm used to 2 cups at most. I did however take a bit of it to taste - and therein lies another tale...
At that point I knew it was time to retreat - chaotically, in a panic, as fast as possible, like troopers in Aliens. I pulled the CSB-76BC, and proceeded to scrape the blob out of the container, dropping bits and pieces in the toilet - I dared not throw it down the sink, as it was clear that they were not properly dissolving and a visit from a squad of plumbers would be an inevitability. It was hellish trying to get this evil mixture off from the bowl, the container, the blender blades, the spoon, the counter, the floor and then it would stick to the toilet bowl and I used the toilet brush (which in turn would get contaminated).
After an hour and a half of this pitched battle, I got it under control. But I did taste it - and that was a HUGE mistake. It now coated my teeth with a layer of grime so tight as if I hadn't brushed my teeth in six years. I used the toughest tartar-control brush on my electric brush and spun it for 3 full 4 minute cycles around all my teeth, and I still feel the grit between my teeth, even if no longer on the surfaces the brush can get at. Luckily I'm due for a dental cleaning in a couple of days.
Now the question is what to do. Option one is to call a HazMat team and have the pea protein removed from my domicile. Option two, is to patent the mixture and submit the formula to the Pentagon for advanced weapons research. Option three is to try to tame this beast and incorporate it into my breakfast and gain some superpower abilities.
Option three is what brings me to the green. I appeal to the hive mind - how do I get the pea protein to blend nicely with the other powders in a modest 2 cup of water quantity for a manageable morning cereal? What's the secret?
It's not the quantity - because I controlled for that in grams of protein which is equal to the whey. Perhaps the pea protein somehow recruits the psyllium and maybe even the oat bran into some kind of malevolent exohydrotropic plot where it absorbs water like crazy but refuses to flow.
I can't boil this, so heat treatment is not possible - heat would compromise the nutritional value of the flaxseed.
Adding small quantity of X to make this happen? Or perhaps the initial powder needs to be mixed more thoroughly with the pea - I'd need some kind of electric mixer of powders (recommendations?).
Anyhow, maybe a food processing engineer, or simply a kitchen guru has some kind of solution!
For well over a decade now, I have consumed a mixture of the following, in a kind of "breakfast soup":
1) 1 tbsp of psyllium husk powder + 1tsp TJ's psyllium husks
2) 1tbsp of ground flax seed
3) 1tbsp of brewers (nutritional) yeast
4) 1tbsp of oat bran - I get the TJ's one (note: this is just the bran, not oats)
5) protein powder - 60 grams worth of protein content from whey protein concentrate/isolate mixture
6)Mix the powders with a spoon, 30 seconds or so until blended
7)Anywhere from 1.5 to 2 cups of water - mix until the powder fully dissolves
8) Add 1 tbsp of non-fat yoghurt with live culture (I buy TJ's)
9) Pinch of powdered taurine (about 3 grams)
This has worked very well, the prep is just a few minutes (about 5), and the consistency is nice, pretty liquid, even with only 1.5 cup of water.
However, I'm not super happy with the whey concentrate protein, and much prefer the amino acid profile of pea protein. So, my idea was to substitute the whey with the pea and keep everything else the same. I made a couple of attempts in the past with various pea protein powders, but the result was failure for various reasons, whether taste or solubility. Some time ago, I heard through the grapevine that my favorite online vendor for protein powders just reformulated their pea protein for solubility. So I ordered a cautious 1lb.
The pea protein in question: Gemma Pea Protein Isolate non-GMO
This morning I attempted to prepare my usual morning mix, substituting the whey concentrate/isolate with an equivalent amount of the above linked pea protein (equivalent in protein content in grams).
Disaster. Complete and utter disaster on a scale defying imagination. I'm still in shock.
The pea protein turned this mixture into some kind of futuristic weapon or possibly an alien technology. The sci-fi horror started with the pea protein itself - merely opening the plastic jug stopped my heart - the protein is not a uniform powder, instead it spontaneously clumps into discreet lumps like a box of coals... I had a baaad feeling about this. I put the plastic scoop in, and gathered some of this substance, but when I attempted to put it into a bowl, it would cling to the scoop with superglue strength. I dislodged it from inside the scoop, but it would cling onto the outside of the scoop like an alien life form. It's not a nice flowing powder, but some kind of clumping powder that shape-shifts.
But I suppress my panic and forge ahead. It's in the bowl, atop all the other powders. I put the spoon in and attempt to mix all the powders like usual. But no, the pea powder will have none of it. I moves about, refusing to interact with the other powders; I redouble the speed and force of the spoon, and ever so reluctantly the pea powder breaks up into smaller clumps and wanders about in the bowl, but doesn't really mix with the other powders, it merely floats in a series of smaller and smaller clumps as I relentlessly spin the spoon. After a few minutes of this, exhausted, I stop. The clumps are by now so small and numerous, that I reluctantly call it "mixed", even though I know in my heart that the pea protein has merely dispersed its troops among the other powders and is bidding its time instead of being in a genuine friendly mix. It's a standoff.
With a feeling of impending doom, I gradually pour in the water, 1.5 cups - an amount that is perfectly adequate, in that with the old mixture, I was able to put in as little as under 1 cup of water and it would mix fine, a bit thicker, but still flowing perfectly well. As I pour, I mix with the spoon. But now, all hell breaks loose. The mixture rears up like an alien beast on its hind legs and races up the spoon as I try to mix it - within seconds I have a congealed pyramid centered around my spoon, resting in the bowl, and the tip of the spoon protruding from the top. I recoil in horror. It doesn't even look moist. It's like some kind of evil cement.
OK, war. But in my experiences with pea protein before, in the old formulation, the pea protein would simply not dissolve, instead stay in dry balls that bobbed about in the water. I was advised by old salts whom I consulted, to nuke it from orbit - use an industrial strength blender to atomize the powder in the water. I bought the device recommended, the CSB-76BC rated at 200 Watts.
Now, I scraped, as best I could, the congealed glob of pea protein mixture into a tall container. It was quite a battle in itself, smaller blobs flying off onto the counter, the floor, clinging to the bowl, spoon, everything around it. But I got like 90% of it in. I poured another cup of water, inserted the CSB-76BC, and turned it on. Now, this blender is so powerful that it's served well in our kitchen, atomizing everything from tough veggies, fibrous pineapples, ice, what have you - anything you'd throw at it, it would pulverize with ease. But here, it spun like crazy, and seemed to have made a neat tunnel in the glob, but not much in the way of taming the glob and making it flow. I'm now at 2.5 cups of water poured in, and it's still cement! Whereas before, with whey, as little as 1 cup would do it! I go ahead and pour another cup. I'm now at 3.5 cups of water. The CSB-76BC whirrs on full power, I'm bearing down with both hands. Nothing. The blob remains a blob. It's absorbed the water like it was nothing. In desperation, I pour in yet ANOTHER cup - now at 4.5 cups of water, VROOOM - and nothing... the blob absorbs the water instantaneously like the Great White in Jaws, it takes not only the bait but the buoys down with a force so great, you realize you have a monster on your hands. I could keep pouring water in, but to what end - it's not like I'll be able to consume 5 gallons of "breakfast soup", when I'm used to 2 cups at most. I did however take a bit of it to taste - and therein lies another tale...
At that point I knew it was time to retreat - chaotically, in a panic, as fast as possible, like troopers in Aliens. I pulled the CSB-76BC, and proceeded to scrape the blob out of the container, dropping bits and pieces in the toilet - I dared not throw it down the sink, as it was clear that they were not properly dissolving and a visit from a squad of plumbers would be an inevitability. It was hellish trying to get this evil mixture off from the bowl, the container, the blender blades, the spoon, the counter, the floor and then it would stick to the toilet bowl and I used the toilet brush (which in turn would get contaminated).
After an hour and a half of this pitched battle, I got it under control. But I did taste it - and that was a HUGE mistake. It now coated my teeth with a layer of grime so tight as if I hadn't brushed my teeth in six years. I used the toughest tartar-control brush on my electric brush and spun it for 3 full 4 minute cycles around all my teeth, and I still feel the grit between my teeth, even if no longer on the surfaces the brush can get at. Luckily I'm due for a dental cleaning in a couple of days.
Now the question is what to do. Option one is to call a HazMat team and have the pea protein removed from my domicile. Option two, is to patent the mixture and submit the formula to the Pentagon for advanced weapons research. Option three is to try to tame this beast and incorporate it into my breakfast and gain some superpower abilities.
Option three is what brings me to the green. I appeal to the hive mind - how do I get the pea protein to blend nicely with the other powders in a modest 2 cup of water quantity for a manageable morning cereal? What's the secret?
It's not the quantity - because I controlled for that in grams of protein which is equal to the whey. Perhaps the pea protein somehow recruits the psyllium and maybe even the oat bran into some kind of malevolent exohydrotropic plot where it absorbs water like crazy but refuses to flow.
I can't boil this, so heat treatment is not possible - heat would compromise the nutritional value of the flaxseed.
Adding small quantity of X to make this happen? Or perhaps the initial powder needs to be mixed more thoroughly with the pea - I'd need some kind of electric mixer of powders (recommendations?).
Anyhow, maybe a food processing engineer, or simply a kitchen guru has some kind of solution!
A couple of quick thoughts that you may want to try:
Do an experiment where you hydrate separate portions of a fixed amount of the pea powder overnight with varying percentages of water (a scale would come in handy here). Maybe you actually do need more water to make this stuff flow like a liquid/gel rather than solidify. Try it with different pH's--mix in some lemon juice in one experimental batch and try a tiny pinch of baking soda in a different batch.
Also, other options include the use of an emulsifier...lechitin? I'm no expert in food science but HAY WORTH A SHOT, YAH?
I don't think a better mixer will help you out here it seems like the chemistry of the components of this pea protein power is what you need to experiment and "figure out".
posted by scalespace at 3:29 PM on June 4, 2012
Do an experiment where you hydrate separate portions of a fixed amount of the pea powder overnight with varying percentages of water (a scale would come in handy here). Maybe you actually do need more water to make this stuff flow like a liquid/gel rather than solidify. Try it with different pH's--mix in some lemon juice in one experimental batch and try a tiny pinch of baking soda in a different batch.
Also, other options include the use of an emulsifier...lechitin? I'm no expert in food science but HAY WORTH A SHOT, YAH?
I don't think a better mixer will help you out here it seems like the chemistry of the components of this pea protein power is what you need to experiment and "figure out".
posted by scalespace at 3:29 PM on June 4, 2012
I have no idea if this would work, but for an emulsifier.. maybe xantham gum? A pinch will keep some things, like starbucks frapps from separating.
posted by Aliera at 3:58 PM on June 4, 2012
posted by Aliera at 3:58 PM on June 4, 2012
I'm having great luck with this stuff. 3-year old is always trying to steal my breakfast of the powder in almond milk. I mix it with a hand mixer using just one of the beaters.
posted by elmonobonobo at 4:27 PM on June 4, 2012
posted by elmonobonobo at 4:27 PM on June 4, 2012
What if you mix the pea protein with 50-50 lemon juice? Maybe acidity is the only way.
posted by oceanjesse at 6:17 PM on June 4, 2012
posted by oceanjesse at 6:17 PM on June 4, 2012
Best answer: I think the problem is lectins:
The pictures I've seen of lectins make them look like tinker toy hubs; the soluble fibers of the psyllium provide the sticks, and the whole thing assembles itself into a vast network like jello.
I think your problem is quite literally insoluble unless you can find pea protein w/o lectin, which would cost a fortune if it exists.
posted by jamjam at 6:38 PM on June 4, 2012
Lectins are sugar-binding proteins (not to be confused with glycoproteins, which are proteins containing sugar chains or residues) that are highly specific for their sugar moieties.Peas have tons of lectins (as do many legumes, probably including psyllium, but you're using the fiber from them), and I think they are binding to the soluble fibers of the psyllium.
...
Most lectins are non-enzymatic in action and non-immune in origin. Lectins occur ubiquitously in nature. They may bind to a soluble carbohydrate or to a carbohydrate moiety that is a part of a glycoprotein or glycolipid. They typically agglutinate certain animal cells and/or precipitate glycoconjugates.
The pictures I've seen of lectins make them look like tinker toy hubs; the soluble fibers of the psyllium provide the sticks, and the whole thing assembles itself into a vast network like jello.
I think your problem is quite literally insoluble unless you can find pea protein w/o lectin, which would cost a fortune if it exists.
posted by jamjam at 6:38 PM on June 4, 2012
Best answer: Oh, and the reason this junk is sticking to your teeth is probably that the lectins are binding to the sugars in the glycocalyx surrounding the bacteria that live there.
There is some speculation that lectins help legumes manage the nitrogen fixing bacteria of their root nodules.
posted by jamjam at 6:56 PM on June 4, 2012
There is some speculation that lectins help legumes manage the nitrogen fixing bacteria of their root nodules.
posted by jamjam at 6:56 PM on June 4, 2012
Best answer: Honestly, it sounds to me that the pea powder just needs way more water than the whey protein. What do the containers say about serving size and the amount of water needed to dilute? You corrected for grams of protein, but did you correct for final water content?
Think of the inside of a pea. It's pretty mushy, grainy and sticky. It would seem to me that it would take a lot of water to get that into a "shake" kind of consistency.
posted by gjc at 7:16 PM on June 4, 2012
Think of the inside of a pea. It's pretty mushy, grainy and sticky. It would seem to me that it would take a lot of water to get that into a "shake" kind of consistency.
posted by gjc at 7:16 PM on June 4, 2012
This sounds like my battle with lumpy roux... I mean, OK, my roux had chocolate in it, but whatever, close enough.
What finally worked was pressing it through a fine mesh strainer. Since yours is already lumpy, I would probably strain it in two steps. First, strain/sift the dry powders (if you're doing this every morning, a flour sifter might be a good investment--don't get one with a squeezy handle, instead get the kind that has a little crank on the side). Second, strain the wet mixture directly after adding water. A more traditional mesh strainer would do better for the wet part, since it will be easier to clean. If you mush it through the strainer with your spoon and some of the water it should get most of it, but there'll still be a small amount of wastage that you'll have to account for.
posted by anaelith at 4:16 AM on June 5, 2012
What finally worked was pressing it through a fine mesh strainer. Since yours is already lumpy, I would probably strain it in two steps. First, strain/sift the dry powders (if you're doing this every morning, a flour sifter might be a good investment--don't get one with a squeezy handle, instead get the kind that has a little crank on the side). Second, strain the wet mixture directly after adding water. A more traditional mesh strainer would do better for the wet part, since it will be easier to clean. If you mush it through the strainer with your spoon and some of the water it should get most of it, but there'll still be a small amount of wastage that you'll have to account for.
posted by anaelith at 4:16 AM on June 5, 2012
Personally, I would contact the manufacturer and ask *them*.
posted by MexicanYenta at 6:36 AM on June 5, 2012
posted by MexicanYenta at 6:36 AM on June 5, 2012
Response by poster: Thank you everyone for the feedback. I now have to consider what to do next.
posted by VikingSword at 3:43 PM on June 5, 2012
posted by VikingSword at 3:43 PM on June 5, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
Could you boil it, let it cool, and then add the flaxseed?
posted by jedicus at 2:42 PM on June 4, 2012