New healthy and sustainable food from surplus pulses grown without chemicals

• AZTI and NEIKER technology centres have used surplus pulses to produce flour, snacks and spreads with improved nutritional properties, adapted to the needs of the elderly.
• The development promotes more environmentally friendly agricultural production, avoiding fertilisers and pesticides, and offers healthy and accessible alternative proteins of plant origin.
• The collaboration is part of the 3SLEKA project, funded by the Basque Government’s Department of Food, Rural Development, Agriculture and Fisheries.

Derio, 25 February 2025 – The gradual ageing of the population poses various challenges, including the need to promote a healthier diet. At the same time, the agri-food sector is in the spotlight of new European regulations that require a reduction in the use of chemical products on crops, forcing the search for more sustainable solutions.

In this context, the AZTI and NEIKER technology centres have pooled their knowledge in the 3SLEKA research project to promote the consumption of alternative plant-based proteins among the elderly population and to comply with strict European agricultural regulations.

To this end, the focus has been placed on pulses, foods with a high protein, fibre and micronutrient content and whose consumption is recommended by the World Health Organisation to reduce the risk of diet-related diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Its cultivation also contributes to the fixation of nitrogen in the soil, and to a lower environmental impact.

The work of both agents has resulted in three new ingredients that combine nutrition and taste developed from the surplus of chickpeas and beans grown without agrochemicals such as fertilisers or pesticides.

‘Through sustainable agricultural strategies, the use of biostimulants and innovative processing techniques, we have created flours, snacks and spreads with improved nutritional properties,’ says Clara Talens, AZTI researcher and head of the project.

The products are also adapted to the needs of the senior population and can contribute to improving the diet of the elderly by reducing their dependence on animal proteins.

Great opportunity for the surplus pulses sector

For the agri-food sector, this initiative represents an opportunity to make the most of local crops, reduce waste and improve traceability and food safety.

‘We are taking advantage of under-utilised pulses, such as chickpeas and beans, to create innovative, healthy and environmentally friendly foods. We also manage to improve food safety by ensuring that there are no dangerous residues in the final products,’ adds Talens.

The collaboration between NEIKER and AZTI in 3SLEKA improves crops through biotechnology, reduces the use of agricultural inputs and pollutant emissions, and reintroduces surpluses into the food chain, thus promoting the circular economy.

Funded by the Basque Government’s Department of Food, Rural Development, Agriculture and Fisheries, the initiative has also developed advanced methods for identifying and controlling phytosanitary residues and predictive models for optimising the structure and texture of food products.