Pulses – like mung beans, chickpeas and lentils –are grown on all continents, yet are sadly lacking in the diet of many in the Western world. The world is being reminded of the importance of pulses for human health, soil vitality and sustainable production with 2016 the United Nations International Year of Pulses.
Pulse Australia national manager Gordon Cumming said industry support for the promotional campaign in Australia relied on the financial backing of businesses to spread the message that pulses have much to offer to the Australian economy, environment and the good health of Australians of all ages.
“One of Australia’s major mung bean exporters, Blue Ribbon Group, and their functional foods manufacturing company, Foods from the Earth, are the official Principal Industry Partner supporting events and activities to promote pulses in Australia throughout 2016,” Mr Cumming said.
Managing director Stephen Donnelly has supported the opportunity to put pulses front and centre for Australian growers, consumers, food manufacturers and researchers.
“The mung bean industry in Australia is experiencing exceptional growth with strong demand for the new varieties grown here that meet the exacting requirements of buyers in India, South-East Asia and China,” he said.
Over 90 per cent of the mung bean grain produced in Australia is exported to markets in South-East Asia, India, North America and Europe and the industry is worth more than $65 million to the Australian, and primarily Queensland, economy.
On the home front though, mung bean is relatively unknown to many Australians unless they have a strong connection with Indian and Asian traditional cuisine. This is something Mr Donnelly would like to see change as a result of the heightened awareness of pulses in 2016.
Blue Ribbon has invested heavily in food manufacturing technology that can revolutionise how pulses can be used to improve the nutritional value of many everyday foods.
“Up until now the distinctive ‘pea flavour’ of pulses has limited their ability to be directly substituted for other, less nutritious grain kibble or flour,” Mr Donnelly said. “This new technology enables us to remove this unwanted taste while maintaining other desirable flavours and all the nutritional value of the pulse grain.”
For chickpea this means removing the pea taste while maintaining the savoury flavours and for mung bean a nutty flavour is brought to the front of the senses. For the humble mung bean this opens up a new world of flavours for people living with a variety of food allergies as world-wide there are no reported cases of allergic reactions to mungbean.
