Miller Magazine Issue: 148 April 2022

85 COVER STORY MILLER / APRIL 2022 environment all together have created remarkably favorable market conditions for plant-based proteins. Another reason for raising plant-based diets is the rais- ing consciousness about human and animal rights which is creating a tendency and awareness which makes people against killing to eat. By 2054, the total world protein demand is expected to be double and become almost 950 million metric tons. The al- ternative protein market, including plant-based proteins will be consisting of one-third of the protein market with a 14% annual growth by 2024. The global plant-based protein market today is approxi- mately 10 billion USD and has an annual growth rate of 6.7%. Today we see plant proteins being used in products such as plant-based meat substitutes, plant-based burger patties, plant-based soft drinks, low-fat praline fillings, cake, and pas- try products (replacement of eggs), plant-based alternatives to dairy products (plant-based milk, cheese etc), plant-based ice cream, vegan crab and shrimp and so many other inno- vative products keep coming every day to our life. One of the latest products that came to the market is called Vuna, which stands for vegan tuna. Of course, the use of plant proteins is not limited to food, there are lots of feed uses of plant proteins. One of the most recent examples of it is pet foods which contain peas pro- tein. So it’s not wrong to say, our pets are also becoming vegan. Plant-based proteins can also be used as a functional in- gredient for different purposes as following: •Texturization •Emulsification •Gelation •Water holding •Blending •Film-forming The bigger the plant protein market gets, there will be more products and uses of them introduced to the consum- ers. Hybrid products, mixed with animal and plant-based pro- teins targeting to decrease their carbon footprint are also going to take their places on the shelves for the consumers. As the plant-based protein market will keep growing, there will always be new products introduced to the consumers. The question now is how sustainable are plant-based pro- teins? Is the world ready to produce a regular supply of plant proteins? Today, 74% of plant-based proteins are being produced from pulses. Compared to the grains the pulses are more ecological products with their nitrogen-rich roots which benefit the soil and the next crops sown after them. Pulses, namely peas, chickpeas, beans, and lentils, are crops that need less water, and they are drivers of positive environ- mental change. Today the world pulses production is around 95 million metric tons. Producing countries led by India which is also the biggest consumer of pulses with their 21 million metric tons consumption annually. Canada and Black Sea countries are the other major pulses producing and ex- porting countries. Canada is the biggest pulses exporter with more than 5 million tons of pulses export annually. Black sea countries Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan are the new rising origins for the pulses. The pulses demand and production are obviously transforming since the start of the plant-protein boom. The main pulses-producing countries are becoming the hub for plant protein production and attracting big invest- ments. Given all these changes, will we be able to produce enough food for almost 10 billion people by 2050? The history of food which started thousands of years ago is on the verge of a big evolution now. All things considered, the whole world must sit at the same table as in the case of climate change and think of food sustainability for future generations. We were so lucky that our world was young enough to provide us with abundance of foods for thou- sands of years and we should leave a similar world to the next generations. About the author Cem Bogusoglu is currently the director of Swiss Aegean Trading GmbH which is a Switzerland-based Trading Com- pany. Since his childhood, Cem has been in love with all le- gumes, especially the chickpeas grown and consumed as green snack in his hometown. This love of legumes made him to choose progressing in the pulses industry unconsciously. With his almost 20 years in the pulses industry, Cem has ser- ved in several different management positions before setting up his own company Swiss Aegean Trading, including Glo- bal Head of Pulses Trading, agricultural project management, pulses processing factory management and head of trading. After he was graduated from Gaziantep University Food En- gineering Department in 2003 where he was playing guitar and singing for his tuition, his experience in the international pulses industry has evolved by becoming a member of GAF- TA Pulses Committee in 2015 and joining the GPC Executive Committee in 2018 which he has been serving since then. To reinforce his management skills and knowledge he has also completed an MBA Essentials course at LSE in 2020.