NNB Nutrition has formed a commercial partnership with Axiom Foods to launch PeptiClear™, a line of hydrolyzed plant proteins engineered to perform across food and beverage applications where conventional plant proteins have historically underdelivered — a direct response to mounting supply constraints and rising costs in the global whey market.
The Supply Problem
Whey protein output is structurally tied to dairy production and cheese manufacturing, a ceiling that cannot flex quickly to match the accelerating "proteinification" of mainstream food categories. From functional beverages and ready-to-drink products to ice cream, baked goods, condiments, and confectionery, brand owners are competing for a finite pool of premium dairy protein. Large multinationals with long-term supply agreements hold a structural advantage, while smaller and emerging brands face steeper barriers to entry in the high-protein segment.
What PeptiClear™ Offers
PeptiClear™ addresses the taste, texture, and solubility deficiencies that have historically limited plant protein adoption at scale. The hydrolyzed ingredients are formulated to deliver a neutral flavor profile, reduced grittiness, and high clarity — properties that make them viable in transparent beverage formats and other applications where opacity or off-notes are disqualifying. Axiom Foods also supplies plant-protein-based milk alternatives as a direct substitute for dairy protein streams, broadening the platform's reach across the ingredient supply chain.
Alongside PeptiClear™, NNB has introduced DL-185®, a dietary di-leucine peptide composed of two leucine molecules in naturally linked peptide form. In published human clinical research, DL-185® demonstrated approximately 60% greater stimulation of muscle protein synthesis compared with leucine alone, and produced greater strength improvements than equivalent leucine supplementation in resistance-trained individuals. The compound is positioned as a performance enhancer for plant-based protein formulations, addressing the anabolic gap that has made plant proteins a harder sell in sports nutrition and functional food contexts.
"NNB believes the future of protein isn't about replacing whey, it's about expanding the world's ability to deliver high-quality protein across every food format," said Dustin Elliott, Chief Brand Officer at NNB. "As consumer demand continues to outpace traditional dairy supply, the industry needs innovative solutions that combine functionality, scalability, and performance."
Market Implications
The partnership arrives as protein enrichment has moved well beyond sports nutrition into everyday grocery categories, a shift that has intensified procurement pressure across the supply chain. Operators and contract manufacturers sourcing for high-protein snack and beverage launches are increasingly evaluating plant-based alternatives not on ideological grounds but on functional and cost-per-gram economics. A hydrolyzed plant protein with beverage-grade clarity and a di-leucine peptide with clinical backing on muscle protein synthesis gives formulators a more credible technical argument for substitution.
NNB, which holds more than 60 filed patents and has commercialized more than a dozen novel ingredients, is pitching the combined PeptiClear™ and DL-185® stack as a route for brands to diversify their protein ingredient sourcing without sacrificing the functional performance that has kept whey dominant. Whether price parity with whey concentrates — currently under pressure but historically competitive — will determine uptake remains the central commercial variable the partnership has yet to publicly quantify.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
