The MVPs
Animal-free nutrition that matches dairy protein on quality and beats it on cost per gram.
Developed with DE3PBIO. ProteNova™ is the protein engine: enzymatically transformed pea and brown rice protein that performs like whey, with no dairy, cholesterol, lactose, antibiotic or hormone load. NovaStaple™ carries that protein into savoury staples at staple economics. Nova Absorption makes the micronutrients actually land. All three are manufactured today and third-party tested.
How the protein is made
Our enzymes turn everyday crops into dairy-grade protein.
Whey needs a herd. We use crops and food-grade enzymes to reach the same digestibility, at a fraction of the cost and footprint.
Plants in
Pea and rice protein, tightly folded, hard to digest.
Enzymes cut
Food-grade enzymes break chains into short peptides.
Digested
96% digestibility. Nothing needed from the eater.
See the full animal-free comparison, footprint and quality tables
Why this matters at 8 cents
The problem in public feeding is delivery, not intent.
Conventional plant proteins digest at roughly 52-65%, and much of the added micronutrient load never survives cooking. Paying for nutrition that is not digested is the most expensive thing a ₹8 plate can do.
Domestic and animal-free
Pea, rice, wheat, soy, millet and sorghum, enzymatically transformed. No dairy price volatility, far lower emissions and land use.
Absorbed, not just served
Higher digestibility means more usable protein and micronutrients per rupee, the biggest lever inside a fixed budget.
Works in real kitchens
>95% dispersibility, ~50 s wettability and 72% protein recovery after retort heat: it survives khichdi, roti and porridge.
Affordability is the point
High digestibility means fewer grams for the same delivered protein, which is what puts it at or below dairy per gram digested.
Compliance ready
Approved food ingredients and enzymatic processing: US FDA and FSSAI compliant now, no novel-food or GM pathway to clear.
Scalable today
No new bioreactor capacity, unlike precision fermentation. It runs on existing Indian food-processing lines at commodity economics.
MVP 1 · Head to head with whey
ProteNova™ vs WPC80 dairy whey
An enzymatically transformed pea and brown rice blend at 80% protein, benchmarked against dairy whey concentrate. Conventional pea isolate is shown for context. The transformation happens in manufacturing, so the beneficiary needs no enzymes or probiotics.
| Parameter | ProteNova™ | WPC80 (dairy whey) | Pea protein isolate |
|---|---|---|---|
| In-vitro protein digestibility | 96% | 91.7% | ~52-65% |
| Total protein | 78-82% | 76-82% | 60-85% |
| Dispersibility | >95%, no lumps | >90% | <60% |
| Wettability | ~50 s | 40-60 s | ~2 min |
| Particle size (PSD) | 65-70 µm, single peak | 100-200 µm | 200-400 µm |
| Viscosity | 23.9 cps | 20-30 cps | ~2x viscous |
| Heat stability (115°C/15 min) | 72% protein recovery | Not stable | Only at 6-7% protein |
| pH (10% solution) | 6.3 | 6.3 | 6.8 |
Source: DE3PBIO technical assessment, compiled from third-party laboratory reports and published comparative data.
MVP 2 · Formats · NovaStaple™
The same animal-free protein, in savoury staples, at the price of staples.
NovaStaple™ is the format that gets the protein into an Indian meal: protein concentrate with soy, millet and sorghum fractions, held together by a proprietary 100% natural emulsifier and stabiliser system built from flax, chia, basil and psyllium fibres. It is designed to disappear into bread, biscuit, roti, khichdi, upma and dal.
Most high-protein staple formats lean on egg white, casein or whey to bind, emulsify and hold texture. NovaStaple™ does that job entirely with plant fibres, so the binder itself is animal-free, allergen-simpler, cheaper and needs no cold chain.
| Protein | 67.05 g / 100 g (134% DV) |
| Dietary fibre | 7.44 g / 100 g (26.6% DV) |
| Energy | 369.36 kcal / 100 g |
| Total fat | 1.77 g, saturated 0.09 g |
| Total sugars / added sugars | 0 g / 0 g |
| Sodium | 3.73 mg / 100 g |
| Bulk density (tapped) | 0.70-0.80 g/ml |
| Moisture / pH (10% solution) | NMT 7.0% / 5.5-7.0 |
| Shelf life | 18 months |
| Allergens / origin | Soy, gluten · India |
Why it fits public feeding
Most institutional menus in India are savoury. A protein that only works in milk or sweet porridge cannot carry a national programme. NovaStaple™ is formulated for the dough, the batter and the pot.
Zero added sugar, negligible sodium, meaningful fibre, and domestically grown inputs. Millet and sorghum also bring climate-resilient, low-water crops into the protein supply chain.
Contains soy and gluten. Menu-level allergen protocols are part of every validation deployment design.
On a real plate
One laddoo, or one roti. Same protein as eggs, milk or paneer.
ProteNova™
Laddoo with 25g
NovaStaple™
1 Roti (40 g flour; 70% NovaStaple, 30% wheat)
600 ml
Milk
~₹30
110 g
Paneer (Cottage Cheese)
~₹45
570 g
Dahi (Yogurt)
~₹35
3 eggs
Eggs
~₹21
MVP 3 · Added nutrition · Nova Absorption
Micronutrients that survive the kitchen and reach the bloodstream.
Protein alone does not fix a deficient plate. Nova Absorption adds microencapsulation and liposomal delivery for iron, zinc, B12, vitamin D and iodine, so a plant-based meal covers them as well as, or better than, one built around animal foods.
Microencapsulation
Protects iron, zinc, iodine and vitamins through heat, moisture and storage, and masks the metallic taste that drives plate waste.
Liposomal delivery
Lipid-bilayer carriers lift uptake of iron, vitamin D, B12 and curcumin-class actives, so a smaller dose does more work.
Anaemia is the target
With 67.1% of children and 57% of women anaemic, better iron performance inside existing meals is a top-return intervention.
Technology detail: de3pbio.com/nova-absorption
Independent testing
Who tested what
Eureka Analytical Services
PDCAAS, DIAAS, digestibility, pH, bulk density, dispersibility, solubility, viscosity, wettability
Malvern Mastersizer (via Eureka)
Particle size distribution by laser diffraction (Dv10 / Dv50 / Dv90)
World's Leading Biosciences Company (Partner)
Molecular-weight distribution before and after enzymatic transformation
Intertek
Heavy metals (lead, arsenic, mercury, cadmium) and protein %
Eureka Analytical Services
Heavy metals and toxins, microbiology and full nutritional panel
US FDA and FSSAI compliant
Ingredients and manufacturing aligned to US FDA and FSSAI requirements for food use
Consumer study
ProteNova™ 21-day use study: reported outcomes
Being straight about the stage
These are self-reported consumer outcomes and sensory panel results, not clinical endpoints. The analytical and functional evidence is strong; on-ground outcome data inside a public feeding programme does not exist yet.
Generating it, haemoglobin, anthropometry, attendance and plate waste measured by an independent evaluator, is one funded workstream inside the NEST4All programme.