EN FR

Creating a new line of fava-based food products

TECHNOLOGY PRIORITY

Sell

PROJECT TIMELINE
January 2022 to March 2023
PROJECT STATUS
Fund I: Complete
TOTAL INVESTMENT
$412,170

Consortia Contribution
$212,170

Cluster Contribution
$200,000

PARTNERS

Prairie Fava Ltd.

Big Mountain Foods

Goal

To create a new line of fava-based food products, such as non-allergen tofu, and to create an innovative high-value Canadian chickpea-fava flour blend and 100% fava flour-based CPG.

Project Summary

Big Mountain Foods (BMF) used its novel in-house technologies to expand its current offerings of award-winning foods. Fava splits were used to extend BMF's current meat-alternative lines and create new fava-split CPG and food service products – in part to meet the request of several leading Canadian food manufacturers and food service providers.

Prairie Fava (PF) supplied high protein fava flour and splits from traditional and low vicine/low convicine (LVLCV) varieties to BMF as well as support the generation of nutritional, functional and sensory data for new recipes and formulations.

These results ultimately led to PF and BMF's improved ability to meet the rising demand for high-protein products delivered through fava ingredients. Higher demand from the end market translated back to fava growers who were contracted to produce higher-yielding traditional and LVLCV fava beans. Benefits were accrued to the entire value chain as the activities positively impacted fava producers, processors, food developers, retail CPG and food service.

Results and Impact

  • Healthier, locally produced food options for Canadians, such as soy-free, fava tofu and the potential for other fava-based food products. This allergen-free tofu is superior in protein content to soy tofu, but has the same taste, colour, functionality and texture as traditional tofu.
  • Prairie Fava has been able to obtain data on new varieties as related to levels of tannins, macro and micronutrients and their ability to be used in tofu production for the benefit of Big Mountain Foods.
  • Over the next 5 years and beyond, new and improved LVLCV varieties will be launched to benefit farmers and the food industry.
  • For Big Mountain Foods, this project led to the development of several new products, all fava-based. BMF will be using their non-soy okara in other Big Mountain products, including value-added applications for co-products of tofu production. This, along with other upcycling actions within the manufacturing plant, earned BMF an Upcycled Food Certification.