Processing of Legume Products to new Foods

The aim of the work is to develop and produce new foods from various legume processing products. Knowledge of the raw material properties (like water absorption, acidity and aggregation properties) of legume products is very important for product development. It was tried to find connections between raw material parameters and quality of the developed products.
Therefore, different technologies were used. The first orienting tests showed that extrusion is the most suitable technology for product development. Due to the dominance of the protein components, experiments were carried out during development in which the pH value was shifted to the alkaline range. Roasting was also tested. A flour was produced from roasted peas, but it did not have good processing properties.
These products should have good chances for marketing with regard to their properties. Therefore, properties should be achieved which represent unique selling points for these products. Essential characteristics are that these products are vegetarian or vegan, free of gluten, GMO and allergens. A further goal is a high protein content of the food, which offers the possibility to market these products as meat analogues. Since 2017, the work has been carried out in the pilot plants of IGV GmbH. The first products have been prototyped with pea products (green peas, yellow peas) and lentils. Flours of peeled peas, pea protein concentrates and pea protein isolates have been processed into directly expanded or gelatinised products by means of various types of extrusion, in particular by twin screw extrusion. Expanded products are produced by hot extrusion. They can be used as ready to eat snacks or form the basis for further developments. Gelatinated extrudates are extruded using a gentle process and are semi-finished products, that can be further processed by flocculation or deep-frying.           
 A product family based on pea protein is currently completed. These basic products can be used in various applications. The work will be continued with other legume products (Fava beans, Lentils).