Beyond sports nutrition: Leprino targets everyday F&B with advanced dairy proteins

Protein has moved beyond sports nutrition to become a mainstream F&B ingredient. While new protein ingredients expand formulation opportunities, manufacturers must meet rising consumer expectations for convenience and taste. 

Food Ingredients First speaks to B.T. Nauslar, vice president of the Nutrition Global Business Unit at Leprino Nutrition, and Angela Queneau, senior director for Nutrition R&D at Leprino Foods, to learn how dairy proteins are shaping the mainstream F&B industry, how micellar casein can elevate ingredient performance compared to traditional milk protein, and why it has been underused so far. 

What is driving dairy proteins beyond sports nutrition into mainstream F&B?

Nauslar: Protein has evolved from a niche sports nutrition ingredient into one of the most important nutritional drivers across mainstream food and beverages. Today’s consumers increasingly view protein as a foundation for everyday wellness, supporting satiety, balanced nutrition, healthy aging, and weight management — not just athletic performance.

At the same time, consumer expectations around convenience have changed. People want protein integrated into products they already consume throughout the day, whether that’s coffee, smoothies, snacks, dairy foods, baked goods, or hydration beverages. Rather than seeking out dedicated protein shakes, consumers are looking for foods that naturally fit into existing eating occasions, while providing meaningful nutritional benefits.

This shift is creating new opportunities for manufacturers, but it also raises the bar on ingredient performance. Consumers will not compromise on taste, texture, or product experience simply because a product contains more protein. As a result, formulators are increasingly seeking dairy proteins that deliver nutritional value, while maintaining desirable sensory attributes.

Dairy proteins are uniquely positioned to meet these demands because they offer complete amino acid profiles along with functional benefits that support product quality. Whether it’s enabling creamier textures, improving stability, or supporting high-protein claims, dairy proteins can help brands develop products that satisfy both nutritional goals and consumer expectations.

Ultimately, we’re seeing protein become a mainstream nutrition platform rather than a sports nutrition category, and that trend continues to expand across virtually every food and beverage segment.

Queneau: Micellar casein is relatively scarce in the world of dairy powders. Most whey is produced as a byproduct of the cheese-making process. In that process, the casein stays in the cheese. Leprino is one of the relatively few ingredient suppliers that dries whey directly from milk and harvests the highly functional micellar casein in its powder format. The reason it’s underused is because it’s relatively novel and just now making its way to R&D benchtops for functional protein fortification.

Functional advantages of micellar casein can be highly valuable in dairy products, soups, sauces, bakery, and snacks.Another factor is that not all caseins are created equally. Traditional milk protein ingredients contain the natural 80:20 ratio of casein to whey protein, while high-purity micellar casein isolates are less common. As manufacturers become more familiar with these higher-purity ingredients, they are beginning to recognize benefits that extend far beyond sports nutrition.

For example, micellar casein offers exceptional heat stability, emulsification, water binding, and clean flavor characteristics. These functional advantages can be highly valuable in applications ranging from ready-to-drink beverages and dairy products to soups, sauces, bakery, and snacks. In many cases, it can help simplify formulations, while improving product performance.

We’re also seeing increased interest from manufacturers focused on protein fortification without the sensory challenges often associated with other protein sources. High-purity micellar casein can provide protein enrichment while maintaining smooth texture and a balanced flavor profile.

As consumers continue to demand protein in more everyday formats, awareness of micellar casein’s unique functionality will grow significantly, helping unlock innovation opportunities that extend well beyond its traditional use cases.

How does your Micellar Casein Isolate differ functionally from conventional milk protein concentrates and isolates?

Queneau: The key difference lies in the purity and preservation of the native casein structure. Leprino Nutrition’s Micellar Casein Isolate is produced through a cold filtration process that separates proteins directly from fresh Grade A milk while avoiding excessive heat or acid treatment. This approach preserves the natural functionality of the casein micelle and results in a highly purified ingredient containing a unique 95:5 casein-to-native whey protein ratio.

Compared with conventional milk protein concentrates and isolates (which have an 80:20 casein-to-whey ratio), this higher casein purity can provide meaningful functional advantages. Because there is significantly less whey present, formulators often experience improved heat stability, lower risk of gelation, and cleaner flavor performance in challenging processing environments.

Another advantage is functionality. Micellar Casein Isolate delivers strong emulsification and water-binding properties that can help improve product stability and texture across a range of applications. It also offers a clean, neutral dairy flavor profile, giving product developers greater formulation flexibility without relying heavily on masking systems.

Beyond technical performance, the ingredient supports clean label innovation. In some applications, formulators may be able to reduce stabilizers, emulsifiers, or other supporting ingredients while maintaining desired product performance.

For manufacturers seeking to increase protein levels without sacrificing taste, texture, or processability, the combination of purity, functionality, and nutritional quality creates a compelling alternative to traditional milk protein ingredients.Leprino sees protein become a mainstream nutrition platform expanding across every F&B segment.

How does microparticulated whey protein create a fat-like mouthfeel, and can it support protein enrichment and fat reduction?

Nauslar: One of the biggest challenges in product development is maintaining texture and indulgence when reducing fat. Consumers immediately notice when a product feels thin, watery, or lacks creaminess.

Microparticulated whey protein helps address that challenge through its unique physical structure. During processing, whey proteins are transformed into uniformly sized particles that interact with the food matrix in a way that creates smoothness on the palate. The result is a rich, creamy mouthfeel that can mimic some of the sensory characteristics traditionally delivered by fat.

What’s particularly valuable is that formulators don’t have to choose between nutrition and sensory performance. Microparticulated whey protein can simultaneously contribute high-quality dairy protein while helping maintain texture in reduced-fat formulations. This opens opportunities in products such as dairy foods, yogurts, frozen desserts, beverages, sauces, dressings, and other applications where mouthfeel plays a critical role in consumer acceptance.

In addition to texture benefits, its low gel strength and consistent particle size can help minimize some of the processing challenges associated with traditional whey proteins. That flexibility allows developers to increase protein levels while supporting a desirable eating experience.

As consumers continue seeking products that deliver indulgence and better-for-you nutrition, ingredients that combine fat replacement functionality with protein enrichment are becoming increasingly important tools for food developers.

What technical advances are enabling clear whey protein to move beyond sports drinks into mainstream beverages, snacks, and foods?

Queneau: Historically, whey proteins often struggled in acidic systems because they were not stable at that pH level. That limitation restricted their use in many mainstream F&B applications.

Recent advances in whey protein processing have significantly expanded what’s possible. New generation ingredients are being designed specifically to withstand challenging formulation conditions while maintaining clarity, flavor quality, and stability. This has opened opportunities far beyond traditional sports beverages.

For example, Clear Pro 90 was developed to support clear, low-pH applications while maintaining a clean taste profile and high protein levels. Its heat stability enables manufacturers to formulate products that would have been difficult to achieve with conventional whey proteins.

Consumer demand for protein has moved into refreshment beverages, hydration products, sparkling drinks, and fruit-forward beverages.These improvements are important because consumer demand for protein has moved into formats such as refreshment beverages, hydration products, sparkling drinks, fruit-forward beverages, and functional snacks. Consumers increasingly want protein without the heavy texture or dairy character typically associated with traditional shakes.

The ability to deliver meaningful protein levels in lighter, more refreshing formats creates significant innovation opportunities. It allows brands to align protein fortification with broader trends around wellness, hydration, and convenience while meeting consumer expectations for taste and sensory quality.

As ingredient technology continues to advance, we expect the distinction between traditional protein products and mainstream foods and beverages to become increasingly blurred.

Where do you see the biggest untapped opportunity for dairy proteins in mainstream F&B?

Nauslar: One of the most exciting opportunities is the convergence of protein with everyday consumption occasions that historically haven’t been viewed as protein delivery vehicles.

Consumers increasingly want nutritional benefits woven into products they already enjoy, rather than adding another supplement or shake to their routine. That creates opportunities in categories such as coffee, hydration beverages, carbonated refreshments, bakery, snacks, and even indulgent foods.

We also see significant potential in products designed for satiety and wellness management. As consumers become more focused on balanced nutrition, they are seeking foods and beverages that help them feel satisfied longer while fitting into modern lifestyles. Dairy proteins are particularly well-positioned because they offer both high-quality nutrition and functional advantages that support product quality.

Another underdeveloped area is premium protein innovation. Historically, many high-protein products have required trade-offs in taste or texture. Advanced dairy proteins are helping manufacturers develop products that deliver indulgence and nutrition, which can broaden consumer adoption beyond traditional health-conscious buyers.

Ultimately, the biggest opportunity isn’t simply adding more protein. It’s creating products where protein enhances the overall consumer experience — improving nutrition, texture, stability, and sensory appeal simultaneously. Companies that successfully balance those attributes will be best positioned to drive the next wave of mainstream protein innovation.