Scientists at the Quadram Institute are planning to begin a new human study into how a pulse-based ingredient could lead to increased health benefits like preventing Type 2 diabetes.

The new diet consists of food products made with PulseON^TM, an ingredient made entirely from pulses, created by the Quadram Institute, King’s College London and New Food Innovation Ltd.

The ingredient has a more neutral taste than many other pea flours and uses whole plant cells rather than crushed up ones, which gives PulseON^TM extra health benefits.

It can also be incorporated into a range of different food products to help improve their nutritional and sustainability credentials.

The team aim to create a preliminary feasibility study that will focus on the provision of pulse-enriched convenience foods as a source of fibre to support gut and metabolic health.

Dr Cathrina Edwards, Group Leader of the project, said: “After many years of research, we have developed a new type of pulse flour called PulseONTM, which retains the beneficial properties of whole pulses and has a neutral taste.”

“This ingredient is ideally suited for incorporation into a wide range of convenience food, helping to boost their fibre content.”

“Building on our relationship with food manufacturing partners, PulseON^TM makes it possible to develop the broad range of food products that are needed to deliver a multi-week human dietary intervention study.”

“At a recent tasting event, we have tasted products that span breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack occasions, and regular intake of these foods would provide a meaningful improvement in fibre intakes.”

Eating enough dietary fibre is important for digestive function and can also help to reduce the risk of developing diseases. The UK national dietary guidelines recommend eating 30 g dietary fibre per day, but the mean intake for adults is only 13.7g dietary fibre.

Dr Edwards said: “Pulse intakes in the UK are typically low, incorporating pulses into familiar everyday foods is a strategy that we believe can help to nudge some consumers towards higher fibre intakes.”

“If successful, it could improve their gut function and lower their risk of developing heart disease or diabetes.”

“Dietary intervention studies like this one are complex and require a lot of preparation.”

The upcoming study involves a group of participants being given a daily menu of foods made with the PulseON^TM spanning multiple mealtimes. The aim is to create a ‘health by stealth’ approach to ‘hide’ pulses in white bread, biscuits and cakes to encourage fibre intake without noticing.

Dr Edwards continued: “At this stage, we are planning a preliminary study, which will help us to ensure that the foods being developed are appealing to study participants.”

“The preliminary study will also help us to trial run some of our study procedures before we go on to implement the full study.”

“By working closely with food manufacturers, we hope this research will create a new category of food that can address this gap.”

PulseON^TM contains four times more fibre than white wheat flour, similar amounts to wholemeal wheat. Also, it contains two times more protein than wholemeal wheat, and can be an important source of sustainable protein.

Dr Edwards said: “I hope that the study will demonstrate that it is feasible to create healthier and appealing convenience foods from pulses, and that provision of those foods can make a meaningful difference to cardiometabolic and gut health.

“This study will also underpin much needed discussions about how to ensure nutritionally-improved pre-processed foods can be made to be commercially viable without passing the costs on to consumers.”

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