PRATHIN
Science with commercial purpose.
Prathin Foods Private Limited was established in 1989 by two doctorates in food technology from UDCT, Mumbai. Thirty-seven years of manufacturing functional ingredients for the pharmaceutical and nutrition industries — including twelve years supplying Herbalife — built around the belief that useful innovation comes from understanding how ingredients behave in the real world.
OUR APPROACH
Curiosity first. Evidence next. Application always.
Prathin Foods brings ingredient chemistry, food functionality and application development together — in a company that manufactures what it develops.
Our work is deliberately application-oriented. We look at ingredient structure, hydration, interfacial behaviour, interactions, processing and sensory outcome as one connected system.
That mindset is particularly important for plant-based and functional food systems, where a promising ingredient can behave very differently once it meets the full formulation and process.
WHAT GUIDES US
Technically ambitious. Commercially grounded.
Understand
Study the underlying ingredient and interface behaviour instead of relying only on formulation folklore.
Develop
Turn technical insight into formulations and processing routes that can be tested and repeated.
Challenge
Question conventional ingredient systems where they create unnecessary cost, complexity or formulation limits.
Commercialise
Keep scale, supply, cost and customer application requirements visible from the beginning.
HISTORY
Thirty-seven years of manufacturing.
The company was founded in 1989 by two doctorates in food technology from the University Department of Chemical Technology (UDCT), Mumbai, bringing combined experience of concept development, pilot plant trials, commercial production and packaging in the multinational and Indian pharmaceutical industries.
It began with a single product — protein hydrolysates, in liquid and powder form, supplied to pharmaceutical companies for protein supplement preparations.
From there it extended into speciality nutraceutical ingredients, where much of its work has remained: mineral glycinates including ferrous glycinate, mineral aspartates, lysinate, histidine, ascorbates and iron polysaccharide complexes. Alongside these, work on plant proteins — fenugreek, rice and soy — has continued throughout.
THE NAME
The meaning behind PRATHIN
प्रथिन
Prathin is the Sanskrit term for protein, also used in Marathi scientific terminology.
The company was named for its first product — protein hydrolysates, supplied to pharmaceutical companies from 1989. Thirty-seven years later, after work across mineral chelates, functional fibres and plant proteins, protein chemistry remains at the heart of what we do.
The name has proved more accurate than we expected at the time.
TRACK RECORD
Supplied to those who audit closely.
Over three decades Prathin Foods has supplied its own manufactured ingredients and formulations to multinational nutrition and Indian pharmaceutical companies.
These have included malted milk powder supplied to Herbalife from 2006 to 2018, and magnesium potassium aspartate over a shorter period within it, a branded protein-and-zinc formulation for the nutritional needs of pregnant and lactating women manufactured for an Indian pharmaceutical company and marketed under their brand, and protein formulations manufactured on a job-work basis.
In 2023 the company returned to protein hydrolysates at the request of a global flavour and ingredient multinational seeking an alternative source of functional whipping proteins. Rice, soy and pea protein hydrolysates were developed, and have been validated in commercial production with confectionery manufacturers.
MANUFACTURING & COMPLIANCE
We make what we develop.
Manufacturing is at MIDC Tarapur, Maharashtra, with spray drying, blending and packing capability and a capacity of approximately 20 MT per month across the product range.
The facility operates under FSSAI licence, in compliance with the good manufacturing and hygiene practice requirements of Schedule 4 of the Food Safety and Standards Act. FSSC 22000 certification is in progress.
Our ingredients are constructed from established, permitted ingredient classes and introduce no novel food substance requiring fresh regulatory authorisation. Specification sheets and certificates of analysis are provided with all supply.
A provisional patent specification was filed on 10 March 2026 covering a covalently bonded plant protein–modified starch conjugate system. Certain process technologies are held as proprietary know-how.
LEADERSHIP
Led by its founder.
Dr Vijay Garde, Ph.D. (Tech), UDCT Mumbai — a founder of the company, and responsible for its technical direction since 1989.
SELECTED TECHNOLOGY WORK
From PHGG to protein aeration.
PRATHIN’s current platform work includes PHGG, plant-protein functionality, protein aeration, protein–carbohydrate structuring and application-led systems for beverages, nutrition, bakery and confectionery.
The portfolio is intentionally focused: fewer platforms, understood more deeply, with a clear path from technical question to customer application.