High-protein products have a reputation problem. The more protein you pack in, the thicker, chalkier, and harder to drink the product tends to get. In response, you reach for gums, masking agents, or a long list of workarounds just to make 30 grams of protein feel like something a person actually wants to finish.
But, what if the protein itself did all of that work instead?
Protein demand isn't slowing down. It's showing up in beverages, snacks, and everyday nutrition products that never used to carry a protein claim, and consumers expect all of it to taste as good as it performs. The catch: most plant proteins get thick, gritty, or need help staying suspended the moment you push past 20 grams a serving.
That tradeoff is exactly what H2-IZO™ was engineered to solve. It's a next-generation pea protein built specifically for ready-to-drink (RTD) and ready-to-mix (RTM) beverages, where solubility, mouthfeel, and manufacturability at scale all have to work together instead of against each other.
A quick rundown of what this ingredient brings to the tank, before we get into what to build with it:
Preferred over whey in blind taste tests. In a recent taste test of 20-gram protein RTM shakes, participants consistently chose H2-IZO's smooth, easy-drinking experience over a comparable whey protein drink.
Genuinely low viscosity. H2-IZO measures lower in viscosity than PURIS 2.0 across 5%, 10%, and 20% solids, so the shake stays light instead of turning into a milkshake you need a spoon for.
Superior solubility. It's 50% more soluble than our popular PURIS 2.0 and 93% more soluble than our P870, which means fewer lumps, faster mixing, and a homogeneous system every time.
Better emulsification. It offers 60% more emulsification capacity than both PURIS 2.0 and P870, giving formulators more room to work with fats, flavors, and functional add-ins.
Put together, that's a pea protein that behaves the way a formulator wishes protein always behaved: light, stable, and cooperative, even as the protein content climbs.
When compared to competitior pea proteins, H2-IZO is the superior standout — not only in taste, but in overall performance and settling. (Or should we say lack of settling?)
H2-IZO is versatile. Already, food and beverage manufacturers are looking at it to upgrade their products in the following categories.
This is home turf. H2-IZO was built and benchmarked against 7.5% and 12% solids RTD systems specifically because that's where viscosity problems show up first. A 20-gram protein shot or shake that stays fluid at high inclusion, without the grit or the "protein sludge" texture, is a genuine formulation win here — and one that plays especially well for brands trying to unseat whey without losing the drinking experience.
Protein has moved out of the gym bag and into the daily routine — coffee, smoothies, and grab-and-go bottles all now carry protein claims. H2-IZO's low viscosity and clean mixing make it a strong fit for these lighter, more casual formats, where consumers expect something closer to a beverage than a meal replacement.
H2-IZO's emulsification advantage over PURIS 2.0 and P870 gives formulators more flexibility in dairy-alternative bases, where fat interaction and mouthfeel carry a lot of the sensory experience. It's a useful tool for brands building oat-, pea-, or blended-base beverages that need to feel creamy without relying on gums to get there.
For RTM products where consumers add their own liquid, solubility is everything. Nobody wants to be the person shaking a bottle for two minutes waiting for clumps to disappear. H2-IZO's mixability advantage over both PURIS 2.0 and P870 makes it a strong option anywhere a fast, lump-free mix is the whole point.
There isn't really a direct competitor product on the market built to solve this exact combination of problems. If you have a big idea and haven't found the right ingredient yet, let's talk.
RTD and RTM protein beverages are one of the fastest-growing segments in plant-based nutrition, and the products winning in that category are the ones that don't ask consumers to trade taste for protein content. H2-IZO was built for that exact trade-off — solving it, not managing it — with data to prove it drinks the way a high-protein beverage should.