b'PROTEINPLANT-BASED PROTEINis big business. Youve probably heard of the Beyond Meat burger, and even if you didnt realize it, youve almost certainly eaten something con-taining protein extracted from plants, whether it be in a POTENTIAL smoothie, energy bar, or another product from the end-less array of options available. An Angus Reid Institute poll shows 70% of Canadians surveyed believe plant-based meats are here to stay. Thirty-nine per cent of Canadians surveyed have tried plant-based meats.A further 32% of Canadians say theyre willing to Plant-based protein products are bigreduce their meat consumption.business. Is catering to the end use market That leaves a protein gap that needs to be filled with something, says Chris Marinangeli, director nutrition for a secret to success for seed producers? Pulse Canadas science & regulatory affairs department. Tom Greaves says yes.Marc Zienkiewicz And as the plant-based protein conversation continues on an upward trajectory, so does production of Canadian pulses. Between 2008 and 2018, there was a 500% increase in global new product launches containing pulse ingredients, according to Pulse Canada. Ingredients made from pulses like lentil flour, pea protein or pea fibre are increasingly being used in food products ranging from meat and dairy substitutes to snacks and bakery products that are traditionally based on cereals. When corn, oat or wheat-based food products are reformulated to incorporate pulse ingredients, they often have a better nutritional profile, with higher levels of pro-tein, fibre and other vitamins and minerals, Marinangeli notes. Incorporating yellow pea flour into products like pasta has been shown to improve the nutritional quality while also reducing the carbon footprint. This is espe-cially important for people who rely heavily on cereal-based foods as a major source of nutrition. The opportunities for reformulations extend across food categories. Blends of meat and pulses provide an opportunity to economically boost nutrition while decreasing the environmental impact of our plates. Reformulating beef burger patties to include whole cooked lentils results in less calories and fat per serving, reduced costs and almost a 30% reduction in carbon foot-print, water footprint and land use footprint.Now, products like the Beyond Meat burger are further raising the profile of this versatile crop. Pulse Canadas 25 by 2025 targetwhich aims to have the pulse industry marshal its resources to create new demand in new use categories for 25% of its productive capacityis helping to fuel the rise in pulses as an increasingly impor-tant food crop. Demand for more pea fractionation is just one example, he notes.There doesnt seem to be an indication this is slowingI expect in 2020 this will be a trend as well, he says.More Protein, PleaseBarry Tomiski knows the value of plant protein. As co-CEO of the Winnipeg-based Merit Functional Foods, he is overseeing the construction of the companys new canola and pea protein-processing facility. It will extract 12GERMINATION.CAMARCH 2020'