David Janow, president and CEO of Axiom Foods, Inc., Growing Naturals, and Simply Rice, is an expert in plant ingredient manufacturing, and is best known for developing Oryzatein, the industry standard for chemical-free, whole-grain, brown-rice protein. In 2005, Janow founded Los Angeles-based Axiom Foods, which manufactures plant-based food, beverage, and nutraceutical ingredients. Axiom has been growing over 100% each year thanks to demand for Oryzatein whole grain brown rice protein concentrates and isolates and a range of additional rice fractions, plant proteins made from peas, hemp, and Sacha Inchi.

Some of Janow’s recent accomplishments include bringing Oryzatein to the forefront of the global food industry as the USP monograph standard and it being used in a clinical trial that showed plant proteins to equal animal-based whey protein for the very first time. His proprietary fractionation method left the use of the noxious hexane behind in favor of an all-natural enzymatic process. Janow has established quality standards for plant proteins throughout the U.S., Europe, and Canada.

Passionate about changing the way the world sees protein and creating a legacy that will heal and help the global food supply, Janow invests his time and money in allowing nature to guide his direction. A global expert on the power of plant protein, Janow has appeared on CNBC-TV, in The New Economy magazine and is a frequent expert voice in the food formulation world.

Health E-Insights (HEI): Please talk about your new organic ingredient Oryzatein 2.0.

Janow: Oryzatein 2.0 (oh-RAHYZ-uh-teen) Rice Protein is a high-quality revolutionary breakthrough produced by means of an all-natural, proprietary process. It is designed to solve the challenges of traditional rice protein while unlocking new possibilities for food and beverage innovation. It is allergen friendly, naturally neutral tasting, light in color, grit-free, flavor-neutral, carb-free, sustainable, and has 80% protein providing all essential amino acids in addition to essential minerals like iron, magnesium, and phosphorus. Best of all, heavy metal levels are ultra-low or undetectable. In short, it is everything a rice protein powder should be for your dream project.

HEI: Plant proteins contain the highest level of heavy metals. Why has this not previously been addressed within the supplement and food industry?

Janow: It was previously not addressed because most of the heavy metals in plant-based proteins are bound to the protein itself. No one previously knew how to get them out. The public’s desire for plant-based alternatives outweighed the need to immediately innovate but it has always been on our list to develop a solution for. Thanks to our patented process for making Oryzatein 2.0, technology is finally starting to catch up. 

HEI: How were you able to crack the code on cleanliness?

Janow: Axiom Foods turns 20 years old this year and we have always had a robust quality department with strict procedures on cleanliness. But we have also been working during that time on innovating and we have spent millions of dollars working on each plant-based protein individually. The technology for one protein doesn’t necessarily work the same way on another. Every plant-based protein has a different method for removing heavy metals from their protein structure.

HEI: Is Oryzatein 2.0 GRAS?

Janow: Since the 2.0 is very new, it is still in process, but we have no reason to believe it will have an issue going through. All of our other rice and pea protein products are already GRAS.

HEI: Is Axiom pleased with The Clean Label Project as a heavy metals watchdog.

Janow: Axiom Foods is thrilled that heavy metals are entering the conversations globally surrounding plant-based proteins. Axiom is uniquely equipped to offer options to those clients who do not want heavy metals in their ingredients.

HEI: Does Axiom promote transparent food labeling to consumers?

Janow: The specifications that we have created 20 years ago have only expanded to cover more testing over the years. We test for over 600 pesticides and around 50 other scientific parameters like gluten, microbiological contaminants, mycotoxins, melamine, and of course heavy metals. Axiom’s rice proteins are likely the most tested plant-based products on the market today. We provide enough information to our clients so they can pass on as much as possible to the consumer. In this way, we happily promote transparent food labeling.

HEI: Looking ahead, what may be your biggest product development challenge?

Janow: Axiom Foods does not foresee any issues with innovating new products and keeping our products clean. However, accessibility of the raw materials has been complicated due to Trump’s tariffs and time needs to be dedicated to supply chain development. Our products currently in R&D are on hold while we work on supply chain. Supplements in general are being heavily tariffed since the U.S. is not a major producer of these. Rice is also not prominent in the U.S. market and U.S. rice has higher heavy metals. A lot of money needs to be spent to put up facilities that can take over that production in the U.S., and all of that takes years. Lastly, these proteins are a waste stream of starch products that are not heavily utilized in the U.S., making international relationships crucial to the production processes.

HEI: What other plant-based ingredients does Axiom offer?

Janow: We offer a wide range of allergen-free plant-based ingredients with an emphasis on quality, functionality, and taste. We are well-known for our array of proteins, though we also carry other plant-based options. Both organic and conventional are available in most cases. Stay tuned for other innovations currently in our R&D pipeline.