Animal feed is good enough for humans

By Nicholas Robinson

- Last updated on GMT

Faba beans are gluten-free
Faba beans are gluten-free

Related tags Agriculture

An animal-feed crop is being considered for use in the development of gluten-free (GF) bread and pasta.

Faba beans, which are an ancient domestic crop grown across the EU and other parts of the world, are GF, protein-rich and nutritious.

Flour made using the beans can be implemented in baking or in other products as a meat substitute, says Finland-based research firm VTT.

Problem

The flour has not traditionally been used in baking, since it contains taste-altering compounds. But VTT claims to have solved this problem by combining mechanical fractionation and bioprocessing, which improves the sensory characteristics of products made using the flour, it says.

The bean is cheap to produce and is cultivated in Europe, Canada, Africa and Asia and has mainly been used in feed for pigs and cattle.

Climate change

However, cultivation for human consumption is expected to increase due to climate change and rising demand for more sustainable sources of protein from food businesses and consumers, says VTT.

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