Mung beans highly modified to resemble scrambled eggs

GLIADINS and glutenins of bread wheat make up the major storage proteins of the grain’s endosperm (the white stuff you see when you crack open a wheat grain).

In wheat varieties and food manufacturing the ratio and amount of these proteins is different according to the enduse of the flour. Essentially, more protein equals more gluten equals more strength and more strength translates into more volume and a chewier texture.

A general rule of thumb is that ‘‘weaker’’ flours (less protein at 510%) are preferred for biscuits and ‘‘stronger’’ flours (1014%) are preferred for breadmaking. There are also seasonal and geographical impacts on the protein content of flour, as an example, the same wheat variety grown in Australia in drier conditions can have a greater protein content than wheat grown in New Zealand.

Why is this of any interest to the average consumer? Well, the wheat breeding industry has taken some flak for increasing the protein levels of wheat varieties and supposedly increasing the incidence of nonceliac specific gluten intolerance levels in society.

This might seem a logical hypothesis, yet recent data published in the scientific literature shows that there is no increase in protein levels in modern wheat varieties compared to heritage varieties.

Counter hypotheses suggest that the increases in nonceliac gluten intolerances may be associated with what happens to the wheat postharvest, when it is further processed and refined and recombined with additional gluten, fats, sugars and salt.

During the processing, fibre, which has potential antiinflammatory properties, is also removed as a ‘‘copassenger’’. These types of hypotheses are hard to definitively test. Specific, scientific testing in humans is incredibly expensive and who pays?

Certainly not the food industry. Often, we have to rely on large epidemiological studies where it is difficult to assess cause versus association.

And why is it important? In my last column, I wrote about the rise in alternate protein manufacturing (plantbased proteins and cellular proteins) in our food supply.

Yesterday, I watched a video from ‘‘Just’’, a company making eggless products predominantly from mung beans to make ‘‘scrambled eggs’’. ‘‘Just’’ were formally called ‘‘Hampton Creek’’ and hit the news when they had an eggless mayonnaise product pulled from Target’s shelves after unsubstantiated allegations of contamination and false labelling. Substantiated or unsubstantiated, it does raise the issue of how major dietary changes and extreme food processing will impact on our health. Why use mung beans to replace eggs?

Eggs, are the most ubiquitous animal protein eaten and ‘‘Just’’ tested multiple plant protein products to find the one which scrambled, then established how to extract the protein at scale and what other ingredients to add to make the mungbean as egglike as possible.

How they do this is proprietary, they will share with the consumer what they have to — but not enough for another company to swoop in and steal the deal.

Ultimately, they need to make this product as cheap as possible so that consumers choose with their wallets.

These alternate protein companies are cool and hip and present a compelling story.

Mung beans are an ancient superfood from Asia and have been eaten for centuries — what could possibly go wrong? Well when we think about extreme processing of wheat potentially being the cause of the rise in nonceliac gluten intolerance — not wheat or gluten itself — do we need to better understand the impact of high levels of food processing on our health?

Alternate protein products are generally highly processed products that are refined, added to and spun to a point where the final product barely resembles the original ingredients.

The money being invested in these companies is substantial and we are told that these food products will be heathier for us and the planet. What do we believe as consumers?

Who has the role of ensuring consumer safety — the food companies or governments? I love reading and hearing about food innovation and it’s easy to get caught up in the hype, but we do need to make sure these industries are handled appropriately.

Investment in independent nutritional research is critical and outcomes of such research must be made accessible to consumers.

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