Miller Magazine Issue: 139 July 2021

77 INTERVIEW MILLER / july 2021 Why pulses are important in our diet? What is the role of pulses in sustainable and healthy food systems? Pulses are extremely nutritious; packed with protein, fibre, complex carbs and a range of important vitamins and miner- als. Getting foods with that kind of nutritional profile into your diet can help lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure and maintain healthy blood sugar levels. And diets that accom- plish those objectives lead to reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and even certain types of cancer. From an environmental perspective, pulses are a truly unique solution provider. With the help of soil bacteria, puls- es fix their own nitrogen. Nitrogen is essential for crop devel- opment and crops that can’t fix their own must be fertilized. When you fertilize with nitrogen, soil micro-organisms con- vert some of the applied nitrogen to nitrous oxide, which is 300 times more potent than CO2 and represents nearly ½ of the of Green House Gas emissions from global agriculture. And GHG from the production of food represents 1/3 of the GHG resulting from all human activity! Not only do pulses fix their own nitrogen, but a crop grown after a pulse benefits 1.) from residual nitrogen in the soil and 2.) because of the positive contribution to soil organic matter – which increases nitrogen use efficiency and generally has a positive impact on crop yields. For example, studies show that energy use drops 8% when wheat is grown on pea stub- ble AND energy efficiency goes up 15%. Finally, in a world where 70 percent of the water used by people is used in food production, pulses are very important because they are a very water-efficient source of protein. They use HALF to 1/10th the amount of water of other sourc- es of protein. Reformulating to include pulse ingredients can help en- hance the nutrient density of a food product and lower its environmental footprint. At Pulse Canada, we’ve been con- ducting research on the benefits of a pulse cereal partner- ship for example – looking at the impacts of reformulating wheat-based foods like pasta, pan bread and breakfast ce- real. Working with ETH-Zurich, nutrition and Life Cycle Anal- ysis (LCA) was applied to three wheat-based food products and the results are clear - reformulation with lentil or pea flour can improve the nutrient balance score by increasing protein and fibre levels AND significantly decrease their greenhouse gas footprint. In the case of pasta reformulat- ed to include 30% lentil flour, the GHG emissions associated with the finished pasta product were 31% lower than a tradi- tional formulation. Now the same approach can be applied to meat or dairy products where sustainability metrics can also drive inno- vation at the product level. Partnering plant-based with ani- mal-based foods provides new opportunities that go beyond what we see today in the marketplace. Last year, Pulse Canada commissioned a study called the Nutritional and Environmental Sustainability of Lentil Refor- mulated Beef Burger, and the results appeared in a 2020 issue of the journal Sustainability. Researchers found that substituting just one-third of a 100% lean U.S. beef patty with cooked lentils results in a blended burger that is more sustainable, nutritious and cost-effective. The blended burger had 12% fewer calories and 32% less saturated fat per serving compared to an all- beef patty, and had a 26% lower production cost. Including lentils also reduced the carbon footprint, water footprint and land-use footprint of the patty by about 33%, a very signifi- cant improvement.