Miller Magazine Issue: 135 March 2021

68 ARTICLE MILLER / march 2021 stitute field. For dry meat analogues in particular, such as minced meat for hamburgers or chili con carne, pulses concentrates can successfully be applied as the main raw material. The third option is to process the pulses into protein isolates using a wet process that includes several steps of solubilization and centrifugation. Pulses isolates have a protein content between 80%-90% and are the high- est in value (up to two times the price per ton of con- centrates). Today, the main application of isolates is in the categories of sports and muscle-building foods and beverages, protein bars and plant-based meat and dairy substitutes. The choice between pulses flours, concentrates or iso- lates depends not only on the target application but also on consumer needs and their willingness to pay. Overall, the three ingredient types can be considered as functional ingredients and their application has much potential in the global food industry. For example, there is great potential to innovate with pulses flours in mixes with other cereal flours for healthy snacks and bakery products that are higher in fiber and in protein. Moreover, the potential to implement pulses (protein) concentrates in the field of animal and aqua feed is yet to be fully exploited. However, the use of con- centrates in the rapidly growing field of plant-based meat substitute and beverages appears to be the area with the biggest potential. Today, most of the products in these fields are made using high-value protein isolates. The use of puls- es concentrates combined with the right technology set-up can potentially deliver promising plant-based products with good palatability and taste ratings. As the demand for healthy and sustainable foods is increasing, the pace of R&D in this area needs to ac- celerate. This is why Bühler has been investing heavily in its Food Application Centers, which aim to offer cus- tomers deep processing expertise and full, pilot-scale infrastructure for product innovation and business case testing. In the field of pulses, Bühler offers a global net- work of application facilities that have the capability to convert pulses into ingredients, and can also follow the value-addition chain with technology in bakery, snacks, pasta and extrusion for plant-based meat substitutes and beverages. In addition, with a sustainability commitment at its core, Bühler has also been investing in R&D activities re- lated to side-stream valorization. For the specific field of pulses processes for high protein ingredients (concentra- tion or isolation), the application of the resulting pulses starch represents a challenge as, at first glance, it seems not to be as competitive as traditional starches such as those of wheat, corn or potatoes. For this reason, Bühler has recently carried out a num- ber of different trials with pulses starches and their ap- plication in bakery, snacks, crackers and wafers - either solely or in combination with cereal flours for value-add products. The results have been very positive and reveal that pulses starches could, in future, be a valuable ingre- dient in the food industry. Finally, the use of all types of pulses ingredients in food and feed has great potential. Solely or in mixes with oth- er cereal ingredients, the key will be to find the right proportions to satisfy local consumer preferences – espe- cially in terms of taste. As the space for innovation and product development is still wide open, we can be sure that processing pulses into ingredients will play an im- portant role, ensuring the dynamism, variety and excite- ment in the shopping experience is maintained for years and decades to come.