NNB Nutrition Unveils PeptiClear™ at Expo West 2026: Build Muscle Like Whey... Without the Whey

Whey prices are climbing and clear protein sodas can't stay on shelves. NNB Nutrition's PeptiClear™ may be the answer -- 10g hydrolyzed pea protein plus 2g DL185® dileucine in a 60-cal mango-pineapple RTD, with early pre-clinical data suggesting mTOR activation on par with 25g of whey. See it at Expo West 2026 Booth #2201.

This year at Natural Products Expo West 2026, NNB Nutrition is debuting a new concept at Booth #2201: PeptiClear™. This is a dipeptide-enhanced clear protein RTD that pairs 10g of hydrolyzed pea protein isolate with 2g of DL185® dileucine to challenge the assumption that you need whey to build muscle.

This is literally perfect timing. Clear protein sodas have basically gone viral and are selling out at major retailers, all while whey protein supply is tightening, and brands are scrambling to keep up. PeptiClear is NNB's answer, providing a plant-based alternative that skirts the dairy supply chain completely, and it comes with early pre-clinical data suggesting the formula may activate mTOR similarly to 25g of whey.

The concept is launching under NNB's new Clean & Clear Series banner. If you've been following NNB's "Rethink The Drink" campaign or their OnSwitch concept drink from SupplySide Global 2025, this is the next chapter in their beverage innovation story. Same "Pure. Potent. Precise." philosophy, now applied to the protein category to support a growing segment that the supply chain simply can't affordably keep up with.

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The Setup: Why Whey Protein Is Under Pressure

Clear protein sodas have become one of the most talked-about categories in functional beverages, much thanks in part to Bucked Up, whose Lightly Carbonated Protein Drink took off in an instant success. Major retailers can't keep them stocked, new brands are launching constantly (some adding additional functional ingredients), and the format has quickly crossed over from specialty supplement shops to mainstream grocery -- you can even find some competitors in Costco.

There's a supply problem underneath all that demand, though.

First, beyond the demand driven by this category, whey protein is being used everywhere, with major brands adding it to protein-enhanced foods and snacks, and more consumers than ever seeking high-protein options.

Meanwhile, whey protein is a byproduct of cheese manufacturing, and for the first time in about a century, cheese consumption has flattened, partly because GLP-1 medications are reducing overall caloric intake for a growing segment of consumers. Less cheese made means less whey produced, and tight supply is making whey increasingly expensive and difficult to source at scale.

At the same time, another trend playing out at the beverage level: traditional soda is in structural decline. Major retailers are now merchandising functional sodas and healthy alternatives right within the soda aisle, actively using them to offset the drop-off in conventional soda sales. Every brand that wants a piece of that shelf space needs a clear, great-tasting, functional beverage. The brands looking to ride the clear protein soda wave can't find enough whey to do it.

And to top it all off, Gen Z isn't drinking nearly as much alcohol (recent reports are that the alcohol industry has lost $830 million in stock losses^[1]), with the younger generation instead opting for functional drinks.

This all combines in a perfect storm for... really high whey protein prices.

But NNB's position? You don't need whey!

Introducing PeptiClear™: The Clean & Clear Series

PeptiClear is a 16oz, 60-calorie, mango-pineapple-flavored clear protein soda concept that puts two of NNB's technologies to work in a single can. The formula is straightforward: hydrolyzed pea protein isolate for the clear protein base, DL185 dileucine peptide to turbocharge the anabolic signal, and SweetVantage® steviol glycosides to sweeten it without bitterness or aftertaste.

The product is produced in collaboration with Flavor Solutions and SIP Manufacturing, and it's packaged in a clean white can with minimalist red and black branding that fits right into the premium functional beverage aesthetic. Expo West won't know what hit it.

Supplement facts per 16oz serving:

• Calories: 60
• Protein (Pea Protein Isolate): 10g
• DL185® Dileucine: 2g
• Total Sugars: 4g (from organic cane sugar)

Other ingredients: Carbonated Water, Water, Natural Flavors, Organic Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Malic Acid, SweetVantage® (Steviol glycoside), Potassium Sorbate.

Inside the Formula

• DL185® Dileucine: The Muscle-Signaling Upgrade

  DL185® is the cornerstone of why this formula can punch above its weight. Dileucine is a peptide bond of two leucine molecules, and research shows it outperforms free leucine at activating muscle protein synthesis.^[2]

  The research numbers behind DL185:

  • 60% greater muscle protein synthesis activation compared to leucine^[2]
  • 185% faster absorption than free leucine (hence the name DL185)
  • 90% more leucine in muscle within 30 minutes of consumption^[2]

  A 2024 PLOS ONE study further confirmed dileucine's advantage, finding that 10 weeks of supplementation produced significantly greater lower body strength gains than both leucine and placebo in resistance-trained males.^[3]

  The body actually goes out of its way to form dileucine from leucine. That's unusual for a compound your biology doesn't consider important.

  

  NNB Nutrition's precision fermentation is solving a huge challenge for beverage formulators. UPDATE Energy and Life Cider X prove it works. From energy drinks to hard ciders, functional beverages are evolving fast.

  You can get the full background in our DL185 Dileucine deep dive.

• Clean & Clear Series Pea Protein Isolate: No Aftertaste

  The "Clear" in PeptiClear comes from NNB's hydrolysis process applied to pea protein isolate. Standard pea protein is opaque, earthy, and notoriously chalky in RTD applications, none of which works in a clear soda format.

  NNB's hydrolyzed pea protein delivers faster digestion and absorption than intact pea protein, while the clarification process removes the compounds responsible for the characteristic plant aftertaste. The result is a clean protein source that disappears into the beverage rather than fighting it.

  While some formulators may question whether pea protein can bring enough muscle-building potential (although research largely dismisses such claims when comparing full doses of whey and pea proteins^[4,5]), the PeptiClear solution solves this debate by including DL185 just to be sure... especially supporting a lower protein dose.

• SweetVantage®: The Sweetener That Doesn't Get in the Way

  NNB's proprietary SweetVantage® steviol glycoside system targets every section of the palate to create a more rounded, less bitter sweetness profile. After three years and $2.5 million in R&D, it solves the bitterness and astringency that have plagued stevia-sweetened beverages, and it shines in clear RTD formats where harsh sweetener aftertaste has nowhere to hide.

The mTOR Study: Early Data, Big Implications

NNB Nutrition revolutionizes natural sweeteners with SweetVantage. A 3-year, $2.5M project delivers clean-tasting stevia that covers the entire palate. Perfect for beverages and powders.

NNB is currently running pre-clinical research comparing mTOR activation from 10g pea protein plus 2g DL185 against 25g of whey protein. Early results are showing equivalency, though the study is still being refined before full publication.

The concept is scientifically grounded: dileucine is one of the most potent activators of the mTOR pathway studied to date, and pairing it with a fast-digesting hydrolyzed protein creates a rapid amino acid surge that the pathway can act on immediately. The hypothesis is that a smaller amount of optimized plant protein, enhanced with a clinical dose of dileucine, can match the anabolic signal from a much larger whey serving.

If the pre-clinical data holds up, the business implications extend well beyond pea protein. NNB can hydrolyze and clarify virtually any plant protein isolate, meaning any brand could source whatever plant protein is available, run it through NNB's Clean & Clear process, add DL185, and deliver a functionally equivalent product to whey-based clear protein sodas.

Why This Extends NNB's Beverage Strategy

PeptiClear connects naturally to everything NNB has been building over the past two years. Our NNB Nutrition Beverage Innovation article laid out the company's broader thesis: the functional beverage market is growing fast, but most brands are still using commodity ingredients. NNB's edge is precision-fermented and precision-processed ingredients that deliver genuine, experiential benefits at doses small enough to work in ready-to-drink formats.

OnSwitch proved that concept in the energy drink category. PeptiClear brings it to protein. The Clean & Clear Series now gives brands an entry point into the exploding clear protein soda market, without the whey sourcing headache.

This is also where NNB's "Pure. Potent. Precise." philosophy gets its clearest consumer expression: pure pea protein, free of the off-notes that have held plant protein beverages back; potent dileucine peptide at the 2g research-validated dose; and a precise formula designed around a specific anabolic outcome.

See PeptiClear at Expo West 2026 at Booth #2201

NNB Nutrition will be at Booth #2201 at Natural Products Expo West 2026, where you can taste PeptiClear firsthand. Dustin Elliott will be on hand to discuss the Clean & Clear Series, the ongoing mTOR pre-clinical research, and how brands can partner with NNB to build their own clear protein RTDs.

Whether you're a brand formulator, a retailer buyer, or just a supplement enthusiast curious about the category. If you're at the show, Booth 2201 is worth stopping by.

To stay current on PeptiClear, DL185 dileucine, and everything else NNB Nutrition is developing, subscribe to PricePlow's NNB alerts below: