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Pea Starch

Optimisation of organically produced pea starch for use in foods

The object of the project is to characterise the reasons for the fluctuating quality of pea starch and to identify genotypes that have good quality. This should enable the basis for further optimisation through breeding. To this end, varieties, genetic resources and breeding strains of one hundred each of summer and winter peas will be cultivated and characterised after the starch and products made from it have been obtained. A selection from this range is characterised in terms of starch composition (such as amylose/amylopectin ratio, cross-linking of the amylopectin) for its techno-functional properties (gel and film formation, baking properties, stability when exposed to acid, shear and heat). These properties are also tested on finished products such as baked goods, extrudates, fillings (for confectionery, pasta, instant dishes). Due to its techno-functional properties, pea starch is in many respects qualitatively superior to other types of starch, for example from potato and grain. It improves the quality of glass noodles and binders for soups, sauces and desserts, as well as the baking results of various baked goods. In particular, this includes products for special target groups such as gluten intolerance. However, the quality of pea starch has so far been subject to strong fluctuations, which have repeatedly led to reduced product qualities. Reduced and abandoned breeding programmes have contributed to the fact that only a few varieties are available and their optimisation, especially with regard to individual value-giving ingredients (above all starch, proteins, antinutritional ingredients), has not been pursued so far. Up to now, peas have been used almost exclusively in animal feed and not in human nutrition. This project aims to change that.

The project is coordinated by the Institute for Food and Environmental Research (ILU). (ILU) and is being carried out in cooperation with Culitvari Getreidezüchtungsforschung Darzau gGmbH and the Technical University of Berlin, Institute for Food Technology and Food Chemistry.

PROJECT DURATION:

01.02.2021-31.12.2023

PROJECT SPONSOR:

Federal Office for Agriculture and Food

GRANT-NUMBER-PN:

2819EPS006

PROJECT MANAGER:

M.Sc. Martin Almendinger

PROJECT PARTNER:

Cultivari Cereal Breeding Research Darzau, Technische Universität Berlin, Institute of Food Technology and Food Chemistry