The quality of the proteins and other ingredients

PiLeJe develops protein-rich nutritional solutions designed to make it easier to follow an individualised behavioural nutrition programme. 

PiLeJe’s nutritional products stand out due to the high quality of the proteins and ingredients they contain.

An indicator of protein quality

The nutritional quality of a protein depends on its content of essential amino acids (refer to The importance of proteins). 
For anyone following a low-calorie diet, the quantity and quality of the proteins consumed become even more important since it is the protein in the diet which helps preserve the muscle mass and reduces the feelings of tiredness and hunger.

To indicate the nutritional quality of a protein, scientists have developed a chemical scoring system based on the essential amino acids contained in the protein.
The perfect protein, by this measure, and which is used as the reference, is egg white.

Indeed, egg is composed of a protein which contains sufficient quantities of all the amino acids which the body requires. With a Chemical Score of 100, it serves as a reference when assessing the nutritional quality of other proteins sourced from meat, fish, cereals or legumes. 
If, in a given protein-based food, an essential amino acid is absent or in short supply, the other amino acids which the food contains will be less well absorbed by the body. This results in a chemical score for this food of less than 100.

PiLeJe’s protein-rich nutritional products all have a chemical score of 100 or more.
They contain proteins from various sources, plant and animal: peas, wheat, soya, egg white and milk. There are several benefits to this diverse sourcing: 

  • it ensures that the product has a high content of essential amino acids
  • the products contain proteins of different sizes some of which can be assimilated quickly and thus used rapidly by the body, whereas others stave off hunger due to their slower assimilation.
Visuel chaine protéines

Selecting the other ingredients

PiLeJe’s agricultural and food processing engineers and technicians, with specialist knowledge of nutrition, work with doctors who are experts in the field of health and nutrition to optimise the nutritional profile of every product. 

In addition to the quality of the proteins, PiLeJe applies strict criteria to its selection of the other ingredients, with the aim being to reconcile appealing taste and nutritional balance.

The nutritional products manufactured by PiLeJe have a low glycaemic load, i.e. they do not trigger as much secretion of insulin: they thus limit the insulin secretion peak and promote the storage of sugars in the form of fats.

Fats, present in smaller quantities, are selected when there is a need, in particular, to provide polyunsaturated fatty acids and notably omega-3 fatty acids. They are derived from vegetable oils such as soya, rapeseed, sunflower oil, etc. and other sources.

Particular attention is paid to the flavours, textures and taste. The development of the finished product, sweet or savoury, focuses on delivering a food which is as similar as possible to traditional recipes. 

Visuel des choix des ingrédients
Visuel Bleu Blanc Coeur Afdiag

Some PiLeJe products bear the “Bleu Blanc Cœur” or “gluten-free” label

PiLeJe supports the Bleu Blanc Cœur association which advocates feeding farm animals more healthily by prioritising the use of plants and seeds selected for their nutritional benefits, such as a high content of omega 3 (grass, alfalfa, flax...). The Bleu-Blanc-Cœur label, as seen on some of PiLeJe's nutritional products, certifies that a strict and precise set of requirements have been met which guarantee that omega-3 fatty acids are consumed by the production animals.
AFDIAG is the French association of coeliacs. PiLeJe has developed a range of gluten-free nutritional products which have been certified by this association as suitable for coeliacs or anyone with a gluten intolerance.

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