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Development of sprouting process and characterization of aroma and flavour in Alberta grown high and low tannin faba beans

albertapulse on May 31, 2017

Study lays groundwork for sprouted pulse products

Sprouted faba beans could be a powerful source of protein for consumers, and a profitable new market for growers and processors.

Take a stroll through your local supermarket or health food store and check out the packaged grain products that are for sale. Everything, it seems, is sprouting.

Indeed, sprouted grains are having a moment, with growing popularity driven by consumer demand for healthy food products. As more consumers jump on the sprouted grains bandwagon, there’s no reason why cereal grains should get all the sales. Pulses want in.

Jay Han, Senior Food Scientist at Alberta Agriculture and Forestry’s (AF) Food Processing Development Centre in Leduc, has watched the sprouted grains trend with interest. Consumers may feel that sprouted grains somehow ‘sound healthy’. Han wants to look far deeper.

“Sprouting may change the amino acid profile of the grain and increase the digestibility and bioavailability of protein,” Han said. “Just think what happens to barley in the malting process. But sprouting hasn’t been studied very much in regard to pulses.”

In 2017, Han began a three-year study on how best to sprout faba beans and what happens to nutrition and taste when you do. This work is being supported by Alberta Pulse Growers.

How sprouting affects nutrition

Han chose low-tannin and high-tannin faba beans for this study because of their high protein content. Sprouting, of course, is another way of saying germination, which is achieved by steeping grains in water in a consistent and controlled fashion. When it comes to sprouting faba beans, Han’s in new scientific territory.

“There’s no written rule on how to sprout faba beans,” he said. “So the first area we’ll look at is optimization of sprouting. How many days does this take, and what effect does this have on the protein?”

With many years’ experience developing processes and food products around pulses, Han knows that taste will be one factor he’ll contend with. You can sprout faba beans beautifully but if consumers don’t like the taste, they’ll buy the sprouted barley instead. As the second phase of this project, his project team will evaluate the flavour and aroma of sprouted faba beans and create a chemical profile of the aroma. A trained sensory analysis and instrumental flavour analysis will also be conducted by, respectively, AF’s sensory evaluation scientist and a University of Alberta scientist.

The whole point of sprouting faba beans is to deliver protein to the consumer in a nutritionally effective way. In the third component of the project, Han will work with a team at the University of Manitoba that will assess protein quality and how protein digestibility is affected by sprouting.

“This project is timely in a couple of ways,” Han said. “First, sprouting is very trendy with consumers right now. Second, faba bean acreage has really exploded over the past few years. If we can find another use for faba beans, one that’s not so dependent on overseas markets, that’s good for farmers.”

Alberta Weed Survey

albertapulse on May 31, 2017

Alberta and Prairie-wide survey assesses weed populations

Summer 2017 marks the first general weed survey of Alberta since 2010, providing scientists, agronomists and farmers with a current picture of what’s out there.

If you made a list of the most prevalent and potentially yield-damaging weeds on your farm last year, what would they be?

For many growers, the lineup of weeds to be controlled has changed over the past 10 years. Weed management practices and available crop protection products have evolved accordingly.

The purpose of the 2017 Alberta Weed Survey is to obtain solid data on the abundance and distribution of weed species in the province’s pulse, cereal and oilseed crops. Julia Leeson, Weed Monitoring Biologist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, is running the project, which spans the three Prairie provinces. Alberta Pulse Growers is one of the organizations that has contributed funding for the survey’s Alberta component.

“It’s been seven years since the last Alberta general weed survey,” Leeson said, “and 10 years since the last survey of herbicide-resistant weeds in Alberta. The survey allows us to see what’s changing and what’s increasing, which allows us to be better able to manage weeds.”

Coming to a farm near you

Leeson is leading a team of more than 40 people working on the survey in the summer of 2017. Their job is to survey fields and compile weed profiles from 1,200 farms across the Prairies.

The team randomly selects quarter-sections in the three provinces and contacts landowners for permission to visit. Weed surveyors will be walking fields after the producers have completed their normal in-crop weed control.

“We just walk through the land, wearing booties so it really is minimal impact,” Leeson said. “Most people are very positive about letting us on the land. We want to look at what’s been missed by the in-crop application, and what will be going to seed that could become a problem next year. We will also collect seed to be tested to determine the extent of herbicide resistance in various weed species.”

The 2017 Alberta Weed Survey is a massive undertaking. Compiling and interpreting the data will take roughly two years. Leeson expects to publish her findings in early 2019. Which newer weeds are on the march? Which long-time foes are declining? How is the incidence of herbicide-resistant weeds shifting?

The survey data will tell the tale, but Leeson’s in no doubt: when it comes to weed management in crop production, the times are changing.

“The weed spectrum has changed significantly over the past 20 years,” Leeson said. “For many years, the Top 20 weeds were fairly consistent. Changes in tillage practices and herbicide use patterns and crop rotations have shaken things up. That’s why it’s so important that we do this survey.”