Why Protein R&D Is a Different Beast: Why It’s Not Comparable to Capsules, Tablets or Sachets
Protein R&D is often misunderstood — especially by brands that already developed capsules, tablets or sachets and assume protein will be “more of the same, just bigger”.
It is not.
From a manufacturing and development perspective, protein products live in a completely different complexity class. Comparing protein R&D to capsule, tablet or sachet development is like comparing furniture assembly to structural engineering.
Both involve materials.
Only one can collapse under its own weight.
It is not.
From a manufacturing and development perspective, protein products live in a completely different complexity class. Comparing protein R&D to capsule, tablet or sachet development is like comparing furniture assembly to structural engineering.
Both involve materials.
Only one can collapse under its own weight.
- -1-
You work with:
defined actives
defined excipients
narrow interaction space
limited sensory exposure - -2-
If the formulation meets:
dosage accuracy
stability
regulatory requirements - -3-
…the product is largely done.
Taste plays a secondary role or none at all. Mouthfeel is irrelevant. Solubility rarely matters. The consumer experience is short and controlled.
R&D in these formats is finite.
You iterate until specifications are met — and then you stop.
Protein R&D Never Stops at “Technically Correct”
Protein products are consumed as food.
That single fact changes everything.
That single fact changes everything.
Protein R&D must simultaneously solve:
And all of these dimensions interact.
You don’t “finish” protein R&D when the formulation works.
You finish it when the product survives real, repeated, daily
- Nutrition
- Taste
- Aroma
- Mouthfeel
- Solubility
- Foam behavior
- Repeat consumption
- Long-term sensory fatigue
- Manufacturability at scale
And all of these dimensions interact.
You don’t “finish” protein R&D when the formulation works.
You finish it when the product survives real, repeated, daily
One Flavor ≠ One Project
One protein flavor can take 3–6 months of active R&D.
And that’s not an outlier — that’s normal.
Why?
Because every change breaks something else.
And that’s not an outlier — that’s normal.
Why?
Because every change breaks something else.
You adjust sweetness → bitterness shifts.
You add cocoa → flowability and dusting change.
You change aroma → foam increases.
You add antifoam → mouthfeel becomes thin.
You reduce sugar → texture collapses.
You add cocoa → flowability and dusting change.
You change aroma → foam increases.
You add antifoam → mouthfeel becomes thin.
You reduce sugar → texture collapses.
Here is a detail most brands underestimate completely:
This is not poor planning.
Protein does not “carry” flavor.
This is protein behavior.
The Hidden Reality: Ingredient Chaos
Protein R&D is not done with a neat ingredient list.
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In our office alone, we work with over 50 different types of cocoa:Different fat contents, alkalized and non-alkalized, origin-dependent, process-dependent. Each behaves differently in a protein matrix. Each changes bitterness, color, mouthfeel and flow.
The same applies to excipients and functional agents. - Our shelves include materials sourced from:Japan, China, India, multiple EU countries — each with different purity, particle behavior, sensory impact and batch variability.
-
On paper, many of these ingredients are “the same”.
In practice, they absolutely are not.
Protein R&D means testing combinations that look identical in specification — and behave completely differently in reality.
Logistics Nobody Plans For
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Every R&D iteration triggers logistics:
- New supplier MOQs
- Lead times
- Documentation
- Batch inconsistency
- Re-testing after restock
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And then — the most painful part — reproducibility.
A flavor that works today must work again:- next month
- with a new cocoa batch
- with a new protein lot
- under slightly different humidity
The Budget Problem Nobody Likes to Hear
-
Protein R&D does not have a clean, fixed price.
Even for us, as a CMO with infrastructure, experience and supplier access, protein R&D is something we approach carefully — because the number of iterations cannot be guaranteed in advance.
That makes protein R&D:
time-intensive
ingredient-intensive- capital-intensive
-
If a brand does not have:
budget for months of iteration
tolerance for failed prototypes
readiness to order many test ingredients
patience for “almost works” phases
…protein R&D becomes a liability.
This Is Why We Treat Protein Differently
At BF-ESSE, we are very open about this:
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Protein R&D is harder than capsules, tablets or sachets — even for us.
Not because we lack competence.
But because protein products operate in a space where chemistry, physics, sensory perception and human behavior collide. -
That is why we insist on:
- proven systems first
- white-label bases for early brands
- R&D only when the business case is real
-
This is not conservatism.
It is respect for complexity.
The Honest Conclusion
If you have developed capsules or tablets before,
protein will surprise you.
If you expect protein R&D to be linear,
it will disappoint you.
If you underestimate the sensory and system dimension
it will punish you.
Protein R&D is not impossible.
It is premature complexity.
But it is not a beginner category.
For many brands, starting with protein R&D is not ambition.
For many brands, starting with protein R&D is not ambition.
And complexity always charges interest.
If you underestimate protein, it will hit you back — hard.
On one single protein flavor, we had three chemists, our COO personally involved, one business development manager and two people in purchasing working in parallel — for almost three months.
If you underestimate protein, it will hit you back — hard.
On one single protein flavor, we had three chemists, our COO personally involved, one business development manager and two people in purchasing working in parallel — for almost three months.
Protein does not fail on the first sip. It fails on the fifth, the tenth, the twentieth — when bitterness creeps in, foam suddenly appears, mouthfeel collapses, or flavor fatigue sets in. And if you miss that moment in R&D, the market will catch it for you later.
This is why protein R&D is not comparable to capsules, tablets or sachets. Those formats test technical correctness.
This is why protein R&D is not comparable to capsules, tablets or sachets. Those formats test technical correctness.
Not on a portfolio
And humans are far less forgiving than specifications.
On one flavor
Protein tests human tolerance.