YePea Challenges Soy as a Locally Sourced, GM-Free, Functional Bakery Ingredient

27 Jul 2015 --- GoodMills Innovation, previously Kampffmeyer Food Innovation, has launched YePea as part of its ongoing commitment to provide innovative products that satisfy both a technological and a health functionality.

Designed and developed for use in multigrain bread products that are popular in Germany, Austria and Eastern Europe, YePea tackles the problems that bakers have encountered with the image of the more traditional soy ingredient, which is falling out of favour due to its associations with genetically modified crops and its perception as a mono-culture, which consumers are increasingly rejecting.

YePea is made using the yellow-podded snow pea. Within the scope of the LeguAN project, GoodMills Innovation has refined yellow baking pea flour into a perfect texturizing product for multi-grain breads. For this, a pea variety of a very specific origin has been used: the precious “yellow-podded snow pea”.

YePea gets its soft bite from a multi-stage process that involves steam conditioning, batch fermentation and slow drying followed by gentle toasting until well done. Next, the peas are ground to an optimum particle size. The cooking and fermentation processes ensure that the YePea product can be used by the baker without a soaking process because of its quick water absorbance. Flavor precursors that develop during the toasting process are converted into the great mild and nutty taste during baking.

Managing Director of GoodMills Innovation, Michael Gusko, told FoodIngredientsFirst: “The yellow pea is a special variety of pea, combined with a special treatment process, relating to its roasting and its milling. Where the pea traditionally failed when compared with the functionality of soy, was its low fat content, which contributes greatly to the ‘bite’ of the final product.

“YePea has been developed with an improved bite and now benefits from being a low-fat high-protein alternative to soy,” explains Gusko.

Another increasingly important factor is where raw ingredients are sourced. Gusko explains that many of GoodMills’ clients are now demanding locally sourced ingredients. YePea satisfies that demand.

“YePea is sourced from within Europe, usually from Denmark or Sweden,” says Gusko. “Many customers specify that they do not want any product from India or China due to quality concerns and the possibility of cross contamination of GMOs or inorganic matter. They are operating what they call a ‘Clean Country Supply Chain’ and do it by excluding certain parts of the world

YePea taps into the trend for non-GMO grains that still offer a health benefit. Also no additional labelling requirements in the EU and can be labelled as non-allergen. It has superior taste and maintains a positive mouthfeel.

By Kelly Worgan