Pulse ingredients are powders made from the mixture of peas, chickpeas, cowpeas, and field beans. These ingredients aren’t a part of the grain family and can be found in several diets worldwide. Pulse ingredients are rich in protein, have high nutritional value, and are a part of several popular foods such as hummus and meatless burgers.
Pulse ingredients are popular among consumers looking for food products that have high nutritional value and also taste good. The pulse ingredients market was valued at USD 19.80 billion in 2021 and is expected to grow to USD 29.9 billion at a CAGR of 4.7% during the forecast period. The main factors driving the growth are increasing preferences towards healthy products, rising urbanization, and rising consumer interest in plant-based protein food products.
How Are Pulse Ingredients Produced?
Wondering how whole pulses are converted into useful pulse ingredients? Let’s have a look at the steps.
Cleaning and sorting: After collecting the pulses from the farm, they are cleaned and sorted by size and color. After this, the pulses are either packed or turned into ingredients such as flour.
Dehulling: Dehulling refers to the process of removing the outside coating of the seed. The cleaned seeds are passed through a mill, resulting in the seed coating to fall off and the seed being split in half.
Pulse flours: Pulse seeds are then turned into pulsed flour by grinding in a mill. This process is similar to how whole grains are turned into flour.
Benefits of Pulse Ingredients
Pulse ingredients are high in nutritional value, as they include iron, protein, magnesium, folate, and other micronutrients. There is a continued pulse ingredients market demand for food products that are dairy-free, egg-free, and gluten-free. And pulse ingredients check many boxes when it comes to meeting buyer demands.
Another advantage of pulse ingredients is their sustainability. Pulse crops can draw nitrogen from the air, meaning they don’t require the addition of nitrogen fertilizer. This, in turn, gives pulse ingredients a low carbon footprint.
The Chickpeas Segment is Expected to Dominate Over The Forecast Period
The increased consumption of plant-based food products across the Asia Pacific and Europe is driving the demand for chickpeas. Rising blood sugar levels, increasing obesity, and other health concerns are anticipated to fuel the product demand. Additionally, consuming chickpeas have numerous health benefits, such as improved digestion and enhanced muscle strength, which further drive the chickpeas market growth.
Leading Region of The Market
The pulse ingredients market in Asia Pacific region accounted for the largest market share and is forecasted to witness the fastest growth over the forecast period. The rising demand for pulse ingredients in the food and beverages industry drives market sales across major economies like China, India, and Japan.
China being the second largest importer of pulse ingredients, and India being the highest producer, supports the market’s growth. The major production ratio and raw material availability fuel the market growth in these major economies. Furthermore, manufacturers emphasizing on producing bread with pulse ingredients to meet the heavy bread consumption across developing economies complement the pulse ingredients market growth.
Recent Developments in The Market
In February 2022, US-based food and beverage ingredient provider Ingredion invested in the chickpea protein platform InnovoPro. The investment was made to increase the consumer base by providing unique chickpea protein solutions.
Roquette, one of the leading pulse ingredients market players, launched its new product range named NUTRALYS in June 2020. Made from pea and fava beans ingredients, the product range offers tasty and plant-based alternatives to curry dishes.
The Bottom Line
The pulse ingredients market growth is fueled by vegan and vegetation consumers choosing formulations containing pulse ingredients due to their nutritional qualities. Pulse ingredients are incorporated in various food products, such as chips, energy bars, and biscuits, which further propels the market growth for the product.