The current trends on the food market, health and well-being and consumer interest towards sustainable protein sources create a need for new domestic plant based protein ingredients. Faba bean with its high protein content (25-35%) and low levels of fat (2 %) is an excellent plant protein source. Faba bean is an ancient crop cultivated in Finland as well as in Europe, Africa and Asia. It is also rich in vitamins, minerals dietary fibre and bioactive compounds. Besides its superb nutritional profile, faba bean is gluten-free. The main limiting factor for using faba bean in food is its anti-nutritional factors (proteinase inhibitors, condensed tannins, phytic acid, vicine and convicine). VTT´s unique hybrid process combines mechanical fractionation with bioprocessing to improve nutritional, technological and sensory functionality of faba bean ingredients.
The main aim of the new project (Value from faba bean, a domestic plant protein source) is to create a value chain based on faba bean processing for food and feed ingredient and product use in Finland. The project (1/2015-98/2015) is funded by Tekes – the Finnish Funding Agency for Innovation.
For more information:
nesli.sozer@vtt.fi