A randomized double-blind clinical trial in healthy elderly men, published in the Journal of Nutrition (first published ahead of print on July 20, 2016) has proven that, at leucine matched dose, Meripro® hydrolysed wheat protein was significantly more capable to stimulate the postprandial muscle protein synthesis rates than whey protein. Whey protein is mostly used in the products for elderly muscle maintenance today.  Tereos, a leading global producer of wheat proteins, has conducted this study in partnership with the University of Maastricht. Skeletal muscle preservation is of key importance to maintain functional capacity and independence of the elderly. Muscle mass maintenance is regulated largely by the basal muscle synthesis rates and their stimulation after food intake. Relatively few data exist in evaluating plant proteins effect on the muscle protein synthetic response following their ingestion, despite that as much as 60% of our daily protein intake is provided by plant-based protein sources, wheat protein being the most abundant in our diet. Meripro® hydrolysed wheat protein is a purified, highly concentrated protein source. Its digestibility is similar to animal-derived proteins (>90%). Tereos hypothesized that providing the amount of wheat protein hydrolysate containing the same leucine level to whey protein could allow a similar or greater postprandial muscle protein synthetic response in elderly. Indeed, wheat protein has a relatively low leucine content compared to animal-derived proteins. However, leucine has been suggested  to play an important role in postprandial muscle protein synthetic response. Based on these new results, Tereos considers that, in the context of a balanced diet, Meripro® is a good candidate of protein source to stimulate muscle protein synthesis in view of muscle mass maintenance in elderly. For example, protein blends combining Meripro® and dairy proteins could be applied to support muscle mass gains and prevent muscle mass loss. Furthermore, these protein blends are much more economic for both the industry and the consumer, and more sustainable for the environment. Reference: J Nutr. 2016 Jul 20. pii: jn231340. [Epub ahead of print]. Ingestion of Wheat Protein Increases In Vivo Muscle Protein Synthesis Rates in Healthy Older Men in a Randomized Trial. Gorissen SH, Horstman AM, Franssen R, Crombag JJ, Langer H, Bierau J, Respondek F, van Loon LJ. Contact details: Celine Hurson, Marketing communication manage, celine.hurson@tereos.com…