NuCicer unveiled Nuchi, a proprietary high-protein chickpea ingredient, at IFT 2026, positioning the ingredient as a scalable plant-protein solution for food manufacturers and foodservice operators navigating accelerating demand for protein-forward menu items and formulations.
Nuchi delivers 50% more protein and 25% less fat than conventional chickpeas, according to the Davis, Calif.-based ingredient developer. The company says the variety also addresses the processing challenges — including inconsistent texture, extended cook times, and off-flavor profiles — that have historically limited chickpea's penetration beyond hummus and salad-bar applications into center-of-plate and high-utilization foodservice contexts.
The Protein Demand Signal
The launch lands against a measurable consumer shift. Seventy-one percent of Americans are actively trying to eat more protein, up from 59% three years ago, a double-digit swing that has pushed protein content to the top of product-development briefs across QSR, fast casual, and retail foodservice alike. GLP-1 medication adoption has further sharpened that demand, as users on appetite-suppressing drugs tend to prioritize nutrient density over volume — a dynamic that increasingly shapes how chain operators and CPG brands think about ingredient selection. The global protein ingredients market is projected to reach $84 billion by 2033, and plant-based sources are competing hard for share of that growth.
Chickpea occupies an interesting position in that competition. It carries cleaner-label credentials than soy protein isolate, avoids the allergen flags of tree nuts and dairy, and benefits from established consumer familiarity. The barrier has been functionality: whole-seed and flour formats have faced texture and processing limitations that made scaling into high-volume applications — think grain bowls, plant-forward entrees, protein snacks, or foodservice ingredient blends — operationally difficult. NuCicer's pitch is that Nuchi closes that gap at the breeding level rather than through post-processing intervention, which could translate to simpler formulations and lower ingredient costs for manufacturers.
Operator and Manufacturer Implications
For foodservice operators and their supplier partners, a chickpea ingredient with materially higher protein density changes the unit economics of plant-forward menu development. Operators chasing protein targets — whether driven by GLP-1-adjacent consumer behavior or broader wellness positioning — have leaned heavily on chicken, Greek yogurt, and egg as workhorses. A legume that can contribute meaningful protein per gram without the commodity-price volatility of animal proteins represents a useful hedge in menu engineering, particularly as plant-based protein trends continue to evolve across the casual and fast-casual segments.
Food manufacturers formulating packaged goods for retail foodservice and club channels face similar calculus. Higher native protein in the base ingredient means less reliance on added protein concentrates or isolates, which can simplify nutrition panels and reduce cost-in-use — factors that procurement teams at multiunit operators and contract manufacturers weigh closely. Ingredient innovation at the supply-chain level has increasingly become a competitive differentiator as brands compete on clean-label protein claims.
NuCicer has not disclosed pricing, customer agreements, or commercialization timeline as of the IFT launch announcement.
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.
