The Canadian International Grains Institute (Cigi) wants to see Canadian pulse growers benefit from the growing gluten-free trend.
Researchers in Winnipeg are in the initial stages of a four-year project that will test pulses in gluten-free products such as pan bread, tortillas, pastas, bagels and cookies.
"Gluten-free is a really strong and growing trend and we definitely see that there's a strong opportunity for pulses in that area," said project manager Heather Maskus. "We're looking at ways that we can assess the functionality of pulse flours and see if there's a really good fit for pulses in those applications."
Some of the pulses being tested include yellow peas, red or green lentils, chick peas, and faba beans. Maskus is hoping these ingredients can help fill some of the nutritional gaps currently found in gluten-free food.
She also hopes that pulses will catch the eye of new gluten-free consumers.
"What's nice about the pulses in these applications is that there's so many varieties of different pulses," said Maskus. "They add different flavour combinations, they change the colour of the products and I think this is something that can really appeal to new consumers of gluten-free products."