Food Industry Views on Pulse Flour—Perceived Intrinsic and Extrinsic Challenges for Product Utilization

Abstract

Pulses such as beans, chickpeas, peas, and lentils are typically consumed whole, but pulse flours will increase their versatility and drive consumption. Beans are the most produced pulse crop in the United States, although their flour use is limited. To expand commercial applications, knowledge of pulse flour attributes important to the food industry is needed. This research aimed to understand the food industry’s needs and barriers for pulse flour utilization. An online survey invitation was sent via direct email to individuals employed in food companies developing wheat flour products. A survey weblink was distributed by pulse commodity boards to their membership. Survey questions asked food manufacturers about intrinsic factors of pulse flours that were satisfactory or challenging, and extrinsic factors for use such as market demand. Of the 75 complete responses, 21 currently or had previously used pulse flours in products, and 54 were non-users of pulse flours. Ten users indicated that there were challenges with pulse flours while five did not. Two of the most selected challenges of end-product qualities were flavor and texture. Over half of the respondents were unfamiliar with bean flour. Increasing awareness of bean flours and their attributes coupled with market demand for pulse flour-based products may be the most important extrinsic factors to increasing use among food manufacturers rather than supply or cost.

An empirical evaluation of simulated gastrointestinal digestion platforms for use in plant breeding, using common bean (Phaseolus vulgarisL.) as a model

“…This area of research and product development would benefit from sustained collaborations between plant breeders and food scientists. 93…”

“…This area of research and product development would benefit from sustained collaborations between plant breeders and food scientists. 93 Testing of samples from more genotypes and market classes on dynamic digestion platforms would further inform breeding efforts. In such studies, we would recommend incorporating an empirical evaluation of cooking time [94][95][96][97] and continued use of genotypespecific cooking times to maximize comparability of digestive outcomes across samples; the effects of environment on cooking time have been found to be less major.…”

Increasing Pulse Foods in the Human Diet: A Qualitative Study

“…Currently, the most produced types of pulses globally are common bean, pea, chickpea, cowpea, and lentil. 1 The top pulse-producing nations globally are India and Canada, with China in fourth place, and the U.S. coming in at ninth. Turkey and Mexico are in thirteenth and fourteenth place, and France and the U.K. following in seventeenth and eighteenth according to data compiled by the FAO from 1961-2019 in metric tons.…”

“…The use of pulse flours has increased in recent years, evidenced by the higher occurrence of these products on food labels in the form of pulse flour, pulse protein, and pulse starch. 1 Pulse flour can be used by the food industry to create quick breads, tortillas, pastas, baked goods or desserts, crackers, and of course meat analogues. 1,35,36 Research points out that the gluten-free market is continuing to increase, and naturally gluten-free pulses are available with higher protein content and overall nutrition than more common gluten-free foods that are usually made from low-protein, highly-refined-carbohydrate substances from corn, rice, and potato.…”

“…In the U.S., production of pulses is 2.9 million tons annually, although consumption remains relatively low. 1 In fact, U.S. consumption is so low that to meet the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) 2 consumers would have to eat five times what they are currently eating to meet that goal in a 2000/kcal/day diet. 3 U.S. promotions of pulses, such as National Bean Day and National "Eat Your Beans" Day is not having the effect that was hoped.…”