Faba Bean Flour - A gluten free powerhouse!
There is a constant demand within the food industry for new and exciting products.
Products that will enable bakers, restaurants, manufacturers and processors to have a drawcard that demands attention from consumers.
Having a new and perhaps innovative ingredient or product that allows a bold claim to be made is often the main driver in new product development.
It helps the product succeed when a stand out feature or benefit can be added to the product labelling/packaging and promoted in the marketing campaign.
Sometimes, however, the latest and greatest is right under our noses. 
THE OLD IS NEW AGAIN
Faba Beans (Vicia faba) and Faba Bean Flour are a great example of this.
They have long since been a ‘feed’ product for stock rather than something to be used in the human food industry.
Originating in the Mediterranean region or southwestern Asia, along with the Garden Pea, Lentil, and Chickpea, Faba Beans (Fava Beans) are part of the Broad Bean family.
Today, Faba Beans are cultivated in more than 50 countries, with China accounting for a large fraction of world production.
Traditionally, they have been grown in the southern grains region of Australia, however, this area has now expanded due to the recent release of varieties adapted to the northern grain region.
Faba Bean Flour is more recently starting to make an impression in the Australian food industry due to its high nutritional value and also being naturally gluten free.
The protein of faba beans / faba bean flour is impressive, sitting between 25 - 35%, twice that of a high protein wheat grain.
It also contains many of the vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre that humans need as part of a health stable diet.
See the USDA Nutritional table via the link below:
https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/4791?fgcd=&manu=&lfacet=&format=&count=&max=50&offset=&sort=default&order=asc&qlookup=faba+bean&ds=&qt=&qp=&qa=&qn=&q=&ing=A GLUTEN FREE POWERHOUSE
It is in the gluten free industry that we believe Faba Bean Flour will really make its mark.
Gluten Free food, particularly in the baking industry can have a reputation for being bland, tasteless and full of highly processed starches.
This means there in an increasing demand for products that can change that reputation.
Being naturally gluten free and full of vitamins and minerals means is a good start.
Taste and application are the other important factors.
Faba Bean Flour has been trailed with success in bread making, pasta and even biscuits/cookies.
The sensory characteristics, structure and colour of the faba bean bread are better than those of, for example, products made by combining maize, rice and soy flours.
A READILY AVAILABLE SOURCE
Mirfak has processed several trial runs of Faba Bean Flour with great success.
The product mills well within our stone milling facilities and passes our gluten free testing.
There has also been some NPD work done when it comes to blending Faba Bean Flour with other gluten free flours to create a mix for gluten free baking applications.
If you would like further information or samples of this product, please feel free to contact us.
References:
Encyclopedia of Life
http://eol.org/pages/703202/overview
Pulse Australia
http://pulseaus.com.au/growing-pulses/bmp/faba-and-broad-bean
USDA
https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/
VTT Research
http://www.vttresearch.com/media/news/gluten-free-faba-bean-for-bread-and-pasta
