Abstract Conventional fractionation processes aim at high ingredient purity, leading to large water, chemicals and energy consumption. However, as most food product consist of mixtures of ingredients, it is questionable if this high purity is always be necessary. Mild fractionation makes use of the natural organization of the main components present. In this paper, those components are detached through milling, soaking in water and subsequently using centrifugation forces. Two fractions, soluble protein fraction (SPF) and starch fraction (SF), were studied in a thickened oil-in-water emulsion. The soluble pea protein fraction could be used to make a good emulsion, which remained stable upon environmental stresses (e.g. heating and freezing). Furthermore, the viscosity of the mildly refined fractions indicated a cooperative effect between the protein network and the starch gelation. These results indicate that the mild fractionated complexes have promising features and can become an attractive alternative for conventional ingredients. Industrial relevance In this manuscript we aim at understanding the functional properties from fractions that are obtained via mild fractionation concepts. While most focus is now on understanding properties of well-defined, pure ingredients, modern trends, such as increased sustainability and health, point in the direction of less or milder fractionation of plant materials. In this paper, we show that less refined fractions can give rise to interesting properties and can be used to provide functionality now provided by pure ingredients. Overall, this novel approach on the fractionation of ingredients gives a new prospective on prerequisite ingredients must comply.