Exploring faba bean protein as a binder in wet pet food

Demand for wet pet food is on the rise, with the segment’s growth being driven by pet owners looking for premium and nutritionally balanced pet foods with good palatability.

Formulating high-quality wet diets isn’t just about taste, it’s about structure. Chunks need to hold, gravies must stay stable, and labels increasingly matter. For years, many producers have relied on spray-dried animal blood plasma (ABP) to deliver binding, gel strength and emulsification. That approach works but it can come at a high cost. And because it’s animal-derived, ABP is increasingly perceived as undesirable by consumers.

With 2 in 3 pet owners considering plant-based proteins to be better for the environment, the use of plant-based alternatives to ABP is becoming more appealing.

What the trials show

New technical trials conducted by Passion4Food, a specialist service provider for the pet food industry, reveal that BENEO’s faba bean protein concentrate can be successfully used as an alternative to ABP in wet pet food.

The faba bean ingredient can be used for full or partial ABP replacement, with no significant change in the end product’s weight or texture, offering producers considerable cost savings compared to ABP. The results also show that faba bean offers better binding properties than pea protein concentrate when replacing ABP.

Sustainability and nutrition

On top of offering technical and cost benefits when used in wet pet foods, BENEO’s faba bean protein concentrate offers strong sustainability credentials related to the crop and BENEO’s local sourcing and production process in Germany.

It’s a highly digestible source of protein, suitable for a ‘no grain’ claim in pet food, plus its amino acid profile is relatively rich in lysine and can nicely complement cereal protein like rice protein or vital wheat gluten.

The business case

As the technical trials show, BENEO’s faba bean protein concentrate offers pet food manufacturers a win-win scenario.

They can decrease their recipe costs while benefiting from secure supply and meeting consumer expectations for more sustainable and plant-based pet foods, without impacting the quality of the end product.

IP milestone

Following the positive trial results, BENEO filed an international patent application for its faba bean protein concentrate as an alternative to ABP in wet pet food, which was published in August 2025.