Our Lab and Applications Manager Paul McNamara looks at Gluten Free opportunities using ATURA Proteins
Overview
It is estimated that in the UK 1 in 100 people suffer from the effects of gluten intolerance or coeliac disease [1]. Coeliac disease is an autoimmune condition that causes chronic inflammation of a persons intestine and is induced by the ingestion of gluten. Gluten, and its derivatives, is a protein that is found in wheat, rye and barley. Due to mass processing of gluten containing grains, gluten free grains such as oat can also be contaminated.
With the shear amount of people affected by a form of gluten intolerance, the development of gluten free foods is a key market of opportunity. Although this area has improved over the years with more higher quality alternatives, the majority of them contain highly process modified starches which have little to no nutritional benefit. Atura pulse flours present a key opportunity for this market with the alternative functionality they can provide.
Fava Bean Flour
Atura Fava Bean flour contains a naturally occurring enzyme called lipoxygenase, this when used a low inclusion rates can have a natural brightening effect as well as providing more sugars to aid the fermentation of the dough. Historically this has been used in traditional French baguettes. The Atura NPD team have used our fava bean flour as high as 7.5% for loaf brightening. Fava bean flour also has success in pizza base applications and providing a light, white colour to sauces, dressings and as a gluten free binder.
Red Lentil Flour
Atura Red Lentil flour under cooking degrades its peach colour, yielding bright tanned coloured doughs and breads. The nutty, peppery flavour of the flour tends itself to more savoury applications such as focaccia breads and pasta. The tanned colour is also present when the flour is extruded for snacks and chips. With the flour being a split starch flour, this is shown to have better expansion properties when extruding than the whole red lentil flour.
Chickpea Flour
Atura Chickpea flour is a widely used ingredient in Asian cuisine and has been used in gluten free wraps, flatbreads and naans. The higher fat content in comparison to red lentil and fava bean flour aids good binding activity. Chickpea flour has worked successfully as a binder in falafel and plant-based chicken nuggets. With a milky, nutty flavour, chickpea flour can be utilised also in sweet applications such as pancakes, waffles, muffins and cookies.
Conclusion
Overall, alternative flour sources like those offered by Atura can give a variety of different nutritional qualities from a minimally processed sustainable source in a wide variety of applications.
Find Out More:
Fava Bean Flour – Atura (aturaproteins.com)
Red Lentil Flour – Atura (aturaproteins.com)
Chickpea Flour – Atura (aturaproteins.com)
References
[1] – https://www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/stomach-liver-and-gastrointestinal-tract/coeliac-disease/coeliac-disease/