Protein Industries Canada announced another key project on Thursday with Saskatchewan based AGT Food and Ingredients and Ulivit.
The $11.3 million dollar project will focus on creating new plant-based foods using pulses grown and processed on the Prairies.
The project involves processing pea, lentil, and faba bean protein concentrate into Texturized Pulse Protein which can be used for tofu, pasta, plant-based meat, and non-dairy products.
Over the past decade, AGT has continued to make investments in their protein extraction business.
AGT's President and CEO Murad Al-Katib unveiled one of the products today that they have been working on for the retail market.
"Along with Ulivit, we're pleased to be working on the development of pulse protein ingredients that will be developed further into retail and market-ready foods for consumer and restaurant markets. Helping to meet the increasing demand for vegetarian and flexitarian diets. Products that will be launched into retail, like this product which we're calling "Veggie Pasta", which is going to be available on Canadian grocery shelves. We hope within 2021."
He notes we now have a pasta serving that's 100% made of Protein vegetables.
Al-Katib says they've already received some really great news that the "Veggie Pasta" has been approved for use in the U-S school lunch program.
He expects they'll have similar success with food banks in Canada and with school lunch programs.
Texturized Pulse Protein can be utilized for sausage, burgers, chicken as well as coatings using pulse-based flours and starches.
"We're very excited that President's Choice is actually going to be launching a "Veggie Crumb" made from yellow peas. We're expecting that to be in retail late this year, early next year, and that will be 100% pulse-based veggie coating that can be used to coat chicken and fish. You know anything you use, kind of a Panko breadcrumb for, you'll be able to use a pulse-based ingredient."
He notes they'll continue to expand into bakery products like biscuits, cookies, snacks, and even baby snacks.
Al-Katib says the world is in a market for a quality protein to feed a growing population with increasing food demands.
Today's announcement marks the seventh project for Protein Industries Canada.
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