HEALTHY INGREDIENTS Beans in toast anyone?


Researchers and chefs at the University of Reading in the UK are hoping to create a new trend for bread containing faba beans (commonly known as broad beans), making it healthier and less damaging to the environment.


A three-year, publicly-funded ‘Raising the Pulse’ project started this year will see five teams of researchers within the University, along with members of the public, farmers, industry, and policymakers, working together to bring about this change.


Faba beans are particularly high in


easily digested protein, fibre, and iron nutrients and could offer a locally- grown alternative to soya bean – which is often used as a bread improver. Researchers are aiming to optimise the sustainability and nutritional quality of beans grown in the UK, with a view to encouraging farmers to switch some of their wheat producing land to faba beans for human consumption.


Professor Julie Lovegrove is leading the research programme. She said: “We had to think laterally – What do most people eat and how can we improve their nutrition without them having to change their diets? The obvious answer is bread! With 96% of people in the UK eating bread,


and 90% of that is white bread, which in most cases contains soya. We have already performed some experiments and found that faba bean flour can directly replace imported soya flour and some of the wheat flour, which is low in nutrients. We can not only grow the faba beans here in the UK, but also produce and test the faba bean-rich bread, with improved


nutritional quality.”


Commenting on his role in the project, Matt Tebbit, who runs the University’s catering service and leads the University’s ‘Menus for Change’ research programme, said: “Students will be asked to rate products made or enriched with faba bean, such as bread, flat bread, and hummus. They will be asked questions about how full they felt, for how long and their liking of the foods. It is hoped that faba beans will improve satiety, as well as providing enhanced nutritional benefits in products that are enjoyable to eat.”


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NATURAL FOOD INGREDIENTS Kanegrade_Advert_185mm W x 120mm H.indd 1 bakeryproduction.co.uk 13/11/2019 11:10 Kennedy’s Bakery Production February/March 2023 15


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