Plant Protein Built for the Beverage Era

Whey supply is tightening and brands entering the clear protein space are already feeling it. NNB Nutrition’s Clean & Clear Series offers hydrolyzed plant proteins built for low-pH, carbonated beverages. This is the supply chain workaround worth paying attention to.

Clear protein sodas are exploding in mainstream retail, and the whey supply chain is struggling to keep up. NNB Nutrition’s answer is the Clean & Clear Series, a commercially available line of hydrolyzed plant protein isolates and concentrates engineered to work where standard plant protein can’t: in low-pH, carbonated beverages.

The series is the foundational ingredient layer behind PeptiClear™, the clear pea protein soda concept that drew serious attention at Expo West 2026. Brands can now source those same clarified proteins directly from NNB to build their own products, under their own label, with or without the full PeptiClear concept.

Brands and formulators who are looking to enter the clear protein category without fighting over increasingly scarce and expensive whey need to investigate. This is the supply chain workaround worth paying attention to.

We get into the story below, but first, subscribe below to stay current on everything NNB is building:

Why Whey Is the Painful Foundation for This Category

Whey is a byproduct of cheese manufacturing. And as crazy as it sounds, for the first time in about a century, cheese consumption has leveled off (and possibly even declining), partly because GLP-1 medications are reducing overall cheese intake for a meaningful and growing portion of consumers! Less cheese consumed means less cheese produced, which ultimately means less whey available. So now, what is available is increasingly expensive for brands that haven’t locked in long-term supplier relationships.

Meanwhile, the proteinification of everything continues: protein-enhanced snacks, pastas, drinks, and bars have pulled whey demand in every direction at once. Brands entering the clear protein space today, without existing dairy supply agreements, face thin margins and supply volatility from the start.

Meanwhile, on the retail side, functional sodas are no longer a specialty channel product. Major retailers are actively shelving them alongside traditional soda to offset year-over-year declines in sugary soda sales (as well as declining alcohol sales). That shelf space is available for brands that can compete, but the whey-based clear protein category is already crowded, and supply constraints aren’t going away.

The world is changing in ways that few are really understanding. But NNB does… and they’re positioned in a way to make their partnering brands into market winners.

The Clean & Clear Series: What Formulators Get

NNB’s hydrolysis technology strips out the compounds responsible for the characteristic aftertaste, gritty mouthfeel, and opacity that make standard plant proteins impractical in clear RTD applications. The result is a protein ingredient that dissolves completely, survives low-pH and high-acid formulas, and doesn’t fight the beverage it’s in.

Whey prices are climbing and clear protein sodas can’t stay on shelves. NNB Nutrition’s PeptiClear™ may be the answer — 10g hydrolyzed pea protein plus 2g DL185® dileucine in a 60-cal mango-pineapple RTD, with early pre-clinical data suggesting mTOR activation on par with 25g of whey. See it at Expo West 2026 Booth #2201.

The current lineup covers four plant proteins:

• Pea
• Rice
• Pumpkin
• Mung bean

These are available as isolate or concentrate. NNB also has piloted a clear whey concentrate for brands that can source dairy. All options are 100% water soluble, Kosher, Halal, Non-GMO, and tested for low heavy metals.

Of the four, pea is the most commercially developed — it’s the base NNB used in PeptiClear and the protein they’ve worked with longest in beverage applications. Rice is the next most versatile. Pumpkin and mung bean open opportunities for brands targeting specific clean-label or allergen-free positioning. The platform is designed to be flexible: NNB can work with whatever plant protein a brand’s sourcing situation favors, run it through the clarification process, and deliver something beverage-ready.

Beyond sodas, the low-pH stability also makes these proteins suitable for soups, dressings, pouches, and functional drink mixes. Anywhere clear or neutral-tasting protein delivery matters, the Clean & Clear Series has a potential application.

Why You Still Need DL185

Pea protein’s reputation problem isn’t taste or solubility anymore — Clean & Clear solves those. The remaining question is anabolic potency, especially at lower doses (such as under 20g). Compared to whey, a standard dose of pea protein produces a weaker muscle protein synthesis signal, which matters for any brand positioning their product as a functional recovery or performance option.

DL185® is NNB’s answer. Dileucine is a di-peptide of two leucine molecules, and research shows it activates muscle protein synthesis 60% more effectively than free leucine, with 185% faster absorption.^[1] That speed advantage comes from the PEPT-1 transporter, which moves di-peptides across the intestinal wall significantly faster than free amino acids.

For context on how concentrated this compound is: it takes roughly 220g of whey protein to naturally deliver the 2g of dileucine found in a single PeptiClear serving. That’s obviously not practical, with the point being that using dileucine as a standalone ingredient is the only realistic path to a clinical dose.

A 2024 PLOS ONE study found that 10 weeks of dileucine supplementation produced significantly greater lower body strength gains than both leucine and placebo in resistance-trained males.^[2] The full science background is in our DL185 deep dive.

PeptiClear as the Reference Formula

Pre-clinical rodent data shows 10g hydrolyzed pea protein plus 2g DL185 (F-4) trending toward greater p-mTOR and p-p70s6K activation than both 25g whey (F-2) and placebo, measured in gastronemius muscle tissue.

The combination NNB has been working with is 10g of hydrolyzed pea protein isolate plus 2g DL185. Pre-clinical research comparing this stack against 25g of whey showed promising early-stage results across mTOR and p70s6K activation, two key indicators of muscle protein synthesis. That study is still being refined, and NNB is targeting a more complete dataset by mid-2026.

The pre-clinical data should be read as early directional evidence, not a definitive conclusion. For brands evaluating the concept now, NNB has a turnkey PeptiClear white-label option available: a ready-to-adapt clear pea protein soda concept that can be customized to a brand’s formula and flavor preferences. The full breakdown is in our PeptiClear article and the Expo West 2026 recap.

A Note on GLP-1 Product Positioning

GLP-1 users are an increasingly relevant audience for functional beverages, and they’re not looking for a dense, filling protein shake. A light, carbonated protein soda with 10g of high-efficiency plant protein fits their consumption patterns far better than a traditional milkshake-style RTD. Brands building product lines around the GLP-1 adjacent market (and the post-GLP-1 maintenance window that NNB has been developing through GlucoVantage®) will find the Clean & Clear Series a natural fit for that portfolio.

What Comes Next from NNB

NNB Nutrition revolutionizes natural sweeteners with SweetVantage. A 3-year, $2.5M project delivers clean-tasting stevia that covers the entire palate. Perfect for beverages and powders.

The Clean & Clear Series doesn’t exist in isolation. SweetVantage® already leveled-up the natural sweetener space for beverage applications after three years and $2.5 million in R&D to develop a steviol glycoside system that targets the full palate without bitterness or aftertaste. A new masker is currently in development for ingredients that have historically been too difficult to formulate into beverages. As that technology matures, it will open up product concepts that aren’t currently practical at scale.

NNB’s “Rethink The Drink” campaign has always been about removing the technical barriers that keep premium ingredients out of beverage formats. The Clean & Clear Series is that same philosophy applied to protein. Brands interested in the clear protein category, whether sourcing the ingredient directly or exploring the PeptiClear white-label path, can reach NNB at NNBNutrition.com. And consumers who want to see their favorite brands adopt cleaner, smarter plant protein can point them here.

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