Pulsing knowledge
Talk to anyone who’s working with pulses, and they’ll enthusiastically enumerate the varied health benefits, from high fiber and protein to low fat and calories. Few are more knowledgeable than Margaret Hughes, vice-president of sales and marketing for Best Cooking Pulses, Inc., Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, Canada. The company, which only mills pulses, will celebrate its 80th anniversary in 2016, befittingly, during the International Year of Pulses.
Ask her where she’s tasted the best vegan key lime pie and she’ll promptly tell you it’s at The Tree House in St. Louis, where the soft meringue is made from aqua fava (i.e., brine of chickpeas). She’ll also tell you that the protein in pulse flour is between 22% and 28%, two or three times the level in wheat. And that Hannah Wessing had it right back in 1918, when she wrote in Use of Wheat Flour Substitutes in Baking for the USDA Farmers’ Bulletin: “Such breads will have an even greater nutritional value than if made from [wheat] flour alone.”
Addressing the necessity of pairing pulses with other plants in order to increase protein quality, she said it’s the “combos” that raise the bar. “For example, cereal is low in valine [one of the nine essential amino acids], but when you combine a cereal with a pulse, you get a real improvement in the quality of the protein,” Ms. Hughes explained, adding that rice and beans is a good example of a combination of cereal and pulse.
Overall, Ms. Hughes says she’s thoroughly pleased to be selling something that’s good all-around. For example, she said, a half-cup a day of pulses reduces the markers for cardiovascular disease; for diabetics, it helps control the amount of insulin required. “Also,” she explained, “since pulses are nutrient-dense complex carbohydrates, you feel full longer.” She said pulses may be good for the environment too, since they effect the nitrogen levels in the soil, in essence becoming fertilizer for next year’s crop.
A valuable advantage
With a Ph.D in human nutrition, Julianne Curran represents producers and processors as vice-president of food and health for Pulse Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba. Her main objective is to increase the use of pulses in non-traditional markets by growing the industry’s understanding and by facilitating research.
Fortunately, Ms. Curran said, the “trend out there” is for greater protein consumption at each meal. She notes that one half cup of lentils has two to three times the amount of protein per serving (i.e., 9 grams) vs. other cereal crops. But she quickly admits “there’s no disputing animal-based protein is the most high quality protein in nature; it has all the essential amino acids—what your body can’t make,” she said. But so long as you eat a variety [of plant sources] you’ll have the right balance, she adds.
For those still skeptical consumers, she underscores the advantage provided by the low-fat aspect of pulses: With one half cup of lentils there are four grams of total fat, versus two tablespoons of almonds (with 8 grams of protein) that packs about 20 grams of fat. Looking at fiber content, one half cup of lentils boasts more fiber than one cup of bran flakes. “So, you’re getting a lot of fiber and protein without the negative of fat,” she said.
“When people report consuming one half cup daily [of pulses], we’ve noted they have higher intakes of fiber, protein, folate, zinc, iron, potassium and magnesium, plus lower intakes of fat and saturated fat,” Ms. Curran said.
Increasing consumer awareness
Although the term “pulses” is not yet a household word, the extent of their plant protein replacement applications is constantly expanding. Therefore, Mackenzie Lilwall is thrilled by the progress and innovation she’s seeing and knows that consumer awareness will soon follow. As director of domestic marketing for USA Dry Pea & Lentil Council, Moscow, Idaho, she sees it this way: “It’s kind of like we’re hitting value-added products before hitting mainstream restaurants.”
To her point, there are now whole pulses available as individually quick frozen (IQF). You just steep the bag in warm water for a minute versus soaking them overnight then cooking for four hours over a low boil. “It’s a huge savings of time! Drain them, then they’re ready to use like a canned lentil, for example, but without the high sodium content,” Ms. Lilwall said. She suggests grinding them to make a puree or to add to a soup.
“Now, 100% lentil pasta and chickpea pasta are both commercially available. And you could do a pea protein to replace soy protein and also use it as an egg substitute,” she said.
In order to encourage further menu applications, USA Dry Pea & Lentil Council presents a product development course at various trade conferences, where Ms. Lilwall and other council members train chefs to use pulses as ingredients in pizza crust, sauces, side salads and more.
But the big news from Ms. Lilwall is all about marketing potential. “We’re putting out a ‘brand’ under the category of pulses; plus, we’re formulating a ‘stamp’ for products. For example, ‘Made with Pulses.’”
Ms. Lilwall, along with others in the industry, can’t wait to see what’s coming down the pike for the 2016 International Year of Pulses, when the “brand” is slated to take off.
