A catalyst for adaptation, advancement and innovation within the agriculture and agri-food community.
NEWS RELEASES - 2007
Beans, beans, the miracle food …!
(Guelph, ON – January 14, 2008) Beans are being held up as one of healthiest
foods we can eat, due in part to their gluten-free characteristics, which are
currently being investigated by the Ontario Bean Producers Marketing Board.
“Beans are the perfect food,” says Tino Breuer, general manager of the Ontario
Bean Producers’ Marketing Board. “They’re approximately 18 per cent fibre, 62
per cent carbohydrates and 23 per cent protein. They’re being recognized for
their possible cancer and cardio vascular disease-fighting compounds, and with
more and more people developing gluten allergies, there’s a need for
alternatives to wheat as a main element.”
With this in mind, the Ontario Bean Producers’ has begun investigating the
possibility of milling beans into flour for use as a gluten-free baking
ingredient. Is there a future where coffee-shop customers could order a
gluten-free donut that tastes exactly like the wheat-based standard, but is
rather made with bean flour?
The project, utilizing over $17,000 in funds provided by Agriculture and Agri-Food
Canada, through the Agricultural Adaptation Council’s CanAdvance program, aims
to understand not only the market opportunities for a bean-based flour, but also
what effects processing has on the health components of the actual beans.
“Ultimately the processed bean product needs to look, feel and taste like the
regular ingredients,” says Breuer. “If it can’t be a direct replacement, it will
never sell. The gluten-free bread must taste like ‘real’ bread.”
“Developing another use for beans, especially undersized or ‘cull’ beans could
be of great benefit to Ontario farmers,” says Bette Jean Crews, chair of the
Agricultural Adaptation Council. “Currently there are over 80,000 acres of white
beans, and 60,000 acres of coloured beans grown in the province.”
Although building a plant to process the beans, may be more than a decade away,
the concept has potential. Ideally such a facility would be able to separate the
bean into its fibre, carbohydrate and protein components, with high value,
alternative health products being developed from each. If successful, the same
plant could be adapted to process other cull crops including undersized sweet
potatoes or asparagus.
For now, the Bean Producers’, with the help of MBA students at Wilfrid Laurier
University, are concentrating on analyzing the market potential as well as
testing various end products. The answer as to what makes beans so unique may
well soon be discovered.
The Agricultural Adaptation Council is a non-profit, grass roots coalition of 71
agricultural, agribusiness and rural organizations dedicated to providing
financial resources to help Ontario’s agriculture and agri-food industry remain
profitable, grow and maintain its economic strength.
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For more information:
Nadine Armstrong, Communications Manager
Agricultural Adaptation Council
Ph: 519-822-7554
E-mail: narmstrong@adaptcouncil.org
Website: www.adaptcouncil.org
