Miller Magazine Issue: 148 April 2022

78 COVER STORY MILLER / APRIL 2022 Capturing the rise of pulse flours & ingredients Increasingly, the food industry is gaining more and more familiarity with all of the positive attributes that pulse ingredients (peas, lentils, chickpeas and beans) can bring to the table. As sustainably produced, nutrient-dense sources of protein, Canadian pulses are increasingly finding a home in conventional food and beverage formulations. Canada is the world’s largest producer and exporter of pulses including peas and lentils, with a rich history of val- ue-added processing of pea proteins that has existed since the 1980s. Accompanying the plant-based movement, we are seeing rapid momentum and growth in the pea pro- cessing industry; with Canada’s domestic capacity to pro- cess pulse ingredients expected to reach 600,000 metric tonnes by the end of the year. Canada’s experience in pulse processing has created an ecosystem of educated profes- sionals with the knowledge and experience to support this growth. The Canadian pulse industry is investing heavily in scientifically-backed data which speaks to the sustainability benefits and quality advantages of processing Canadian varieties. Given an average annual production of ~4 million metric tonnes, the Canadian industry is well-positioned to become a leading supplier of pea ingredients to the inter- national market. LEVERAGING EXPERIENCE TO CREATE NEW & INNOVATIVE PULSE INGREDIENTS Behind peas, lentils are the second largest in volume of the pulse crops produced in Canada, with an average an- nual production of ~ 2.4 million metric tonnes. It is becom- ing clear that the success and history of pea processing in Canada can be leveraged to create new and innovate ingredients from other pulses like lentils. The production of flours from red and green lentils has been identified as an undercapitalized opportunity in this space; with a com- pound annual growth rate (2020-23) for lentil flour utiliza- tion in US packaged foods estimated at 22.3% 1 . An online survey of 1511 representing the general population identi- fied lentils as having strong consumer awareness with per- ceived benefits being healthfulness, plant-forward, high in protein and high in fibre 2 . Janelle Courcelles Director of Quality & Procesing Pulse Canada Composition of whole lentil flour (internal Pulse Canada analysis) relative to whole wheat flour (USDA ID #20080), white rice flour (USDA ID #20061) and yellow corn flour (USDA ID #100251).