Pulsing with life:
Australian Government boosts research into plant-based protein PROCESSING
A ©stock.adobe.com/au/peangdao
ustralia produces a 20th of the world’s pulses but is unable to significantly contribute to the increasingly important plant-based protein market. The typical pulses that Australia grows — chickpeas, faba beans, mung beans, lupin, field peas and lentils — are not regularly used for protein additives in meat-alternatives. Instead, soy bean and yellow pea are the favoured crops of this market — crops that are not widely viable for growing in Australia. New research is aiming to change that, however, with the Transitioning Australian Pulses into Protein-based Food Industries project having received almost $1 million in funding. This project aims to boost the commercial applications of the pulses that Australia grows. Researchers from the University of Sydney are hoping to find ways of efficiently processing these pulses, keeping water and energy consumption low, into useable protein concentrates and
54
November/December 2021
www.foodprocessing.com.au
