Plant genetics: NuCicer develops high-protein chickpeas hailed as “ideal plant protein”

05 Jan 2022 --- Reconfiguring the chickpea into a resilient, higher-yielding crop with increased protein content and targeted functional and nutritional properties has been a long time coming for NuCicer. But following years of research, now its new super chickpea variety boasts 75% higher protein content than conventional chickpeas and is set to strengthen its status as the ideal plant protein.

According to the company, the new range of varieties, developed using wild genetic diversity, will enable more sustainable, affordable plant proteins and high-protein, gluten-free flours and whole bean products. 

They are also particularly known for their neutral flavor and color.

“Our new varieties – the product of ten years of research amassing and crossbreeding the world’s largest and most systematic collection of wild crop progenitors with cultivated chickpea – will enable chickpea protein to out-compete other leading plant proteins like soy, wheat and pea,” Kathryn Cook, NuCicer co-founder and CEO tells FoodIngredientsFirst.

The new varieties will cut the cost of chickpea protein by approximately half.Next-gen protein production
NuCicer uses the genetic potential to bring high-value traits such as increased protein content to market and contributes back to global biodiversity and food security efforts through an international treaty with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 

The company is now scaling operations with a commercial protein and flour ingredient production plan in 2023.

NuCicer is also working to increase the yield and production stability of these newly cultivated chickpeas by incorporating traits for environmental resilience such as heat and drought tolerance.

“Chickpeas are the ideal plant protein, with a neutral flavor and color, excellent functionality, and positive consumer sentiment,” explains Cook. 

The new varieties will cut the cost of chickpea protein by approximately half, making it cost-competitive with other plant proteins such as soy, wheat and pea. 

Chickpea is already the third most widely grown grain legume and a key source of nutrition.

According to Innova Trends Survey 2020, chickpeas ranked highly among consumers in the UK, US, Spain, France, Brazil, India, Germany, Mexico, China and Indonesia. 

The launch activity for products with pulse flours including chickpea has grown steadily accounting for an annual growth rate of more than 15.4%, between 2016 and 2020 globally. Chickpea flour led the market with more than half the market share.

Chickpeas are the third most widely grown grain legume and a significant source of human nutrition worldwide.Scaling sustainable ingredients to market
NuCicer develops sustainable, high-protein chickpea varieties, from whole beans, gluten-free flours to protein ingredients and scales them to market. The company partners with growers interested in chickpea’s capacity for nitrogen fixation and climate resilience.

According to Cook, chickpea is the third most widely grown grain legume and a significant source of human nutrition worldwide, recognized by the United Nations as a key global crop through the annual “World Pulses Day” which falls on February 10, 2022. 

NuCicer’s background chickpea germplasm stems from international research projects spanning the last decade led by Professor Douglas R. Cook from the University of California Davis. 

Wild crop progenitors
International researchers trekked through southeastern Turkey with permission from local authorities to collect thousands of samples of wild crop progenitors. 

NuCicer-backed scientists crossbred the wild material with cultivated chickpea varieties. They expanded the available genetic diversity by 40 times, developing essential traits that are non-existent in cultivated or wild types. 

“We are in conversations with partners who recognize the opportunity of new ingredients from our high-protein chickpeas and are moving quickly to enable meaningful impact across the agri-food supply chain,” explains Cook.

In other ventures to scale chickpea production, Israeli food-tech company InnovoPro raised US$15 million in 2020 to launch a next-generation range of chickpea protein. 

Franklin Farms has added to its plant-based portfolio with a new line of chickpea tofu products. The offerings are soy-free, GMO-free, low-fat and allergen-free, giving consumers more plant-forward options to diversify their diets. 

Israel-based ChickP has unveiled its chickpea isolate as an all-purpose, nutrition-packed egg alternative for eggs in mayonnaise.

By Inga de Jong