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GROW UTILIZATION 34 | Pulse Research Magazine Sprouted pulses are traditionally used as fresh vegetables. Research asks if we can use faba beans as a sprouted grain in bread. PROJECT TITLE Development of sprouting process and characterization of aroma and flavour in Alberta-grown high- and low-tannin faba beans PROJECT LEAD Jay Han, Alberta Agriculture and Forestry TOTAL VALUE OF PROJECT $459,350 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." Sprouted faba beans could be a powerful source of protein for consumers, and a profitable new market for growers and processors. Study Lays Groundwork for Sprouted Pulse Products

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