Fargo, N.D., USA – Thirteen participants from five Asian countries are at Northern Crops Institute (NCI) this week to investigate pea flour as an ingredient in pasta and noodles. Participants are from Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. They represent ten noodle manufacturing companies, a university, and international representatives of USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council (USADPLC).
The short course is one of two offered this summer in collaboration with USADPLC. Chinese processors will attend a second course later this year.
Dr. Mehmet Tulbek, NCI Pulse and Oilseed Quality Specialist, coordinates and teaches in the course. “U.S. pea cultivars show excellent milling and pasting properties; therefore the short course promotes pea flour fortification in terms of blending and end product quality attributes,” says Tulbek.
Topics in the course include pea flour quality evaluation, functional properties, effects of pea flour on dough quality, pasta and noodle making technologies, shelf life and sensory evaluation aspects. Participants also toured Premier Pulses International, Minot, N.D., and visited with pea breeders at Carrington (N.D.) Research Extension Center.
Minerva Salvatierra, a participant who is the R & D Specialist with Monde Nissin Corporation, Philippines, comments, “I will use the information from this course to innovate new products. We are looking for a raw material that is a benefit for our consumers. What we have learned is timely to what we are producing right now as we focus on health, wellness and nutrition products.”
“We are excited about this course,” says Larry White, marketing director for Northern Pulse Growers Association. “We do a significant amount of business already in the Philippines, selling U.S. peas to their snack food industry. Malaysia and Indonesia are also buying a little product. This course opens doors for us. We hope these people go back home with new ideas about pea flour as an ingredient in their products.”
“Pea is a very healthy product that has an excellent amino acid profile with low fat, high protein, and a lot of anti-oxidants, so we have a product that can be used as an ingredient to fortify many products,” continues White.
“We send a lot of dry peas into Europe—Spain, Italy, Turkey, France, Germany. So we have a real presence in the EU and Northern Africa. We’ve already seen results with a couple of pasta companies in Europe. One major pasta manufacturer fortifies its products with a chickpea and lentil flour, and their sales in Europe have sky-rocketed. They’ve taken over about 10% of the pasta industry there in two years,” White concludes.
Northern Pulse Growers represents Montana and North Dakota producers. The region’s pea acreage went up 400% in the last five years; around 87% of the U.S. dry peas are grown in North Dakota and Montana, according to White. “Right now, the price of peas is at an all-time high. It’s pretty exciting,” he concludes.
In addition to Tulbek, speakers for the course include: Greg Johnson, Premier Pulses; Dr. Kevin McPhee, Research Geneticist with ARS/USDA, Pullman, Wash.; Blaine Schatz, Director, Carrington Research Extension Center; Dr. Clifford Hall, Assistant Professor, NDSU; Dr. Charlene Hall, Associate Professor, NDSU; Dr. Pat Berglund, NCI Director; Brian Sorenson, NCI Technical Director; Bonnie Jacobson, NCI Food Technologist; and Rilie Morgan, NCI Processing Technician.
Northern Crops Institute (NCI) provides educational and technical programs and services to expand domestic and international markets for northern-grown U.S. crops. Located on the campus of North Dakota State University, NCI serves as a resource center for international buyers, trade teams, and processors seeking technical information on northern-grown crops…such as current crop quality, unique characteristics of northern-grown crops, grain procurement strategies for these crops, product and process development, and value-added processing. NCI specializes in baking, extrusion, crop quality, durum milling, feed manufacturing, malting and brewing, and pasta manufacturing in a confidential atmosphere.
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