Access to food - let alone nutritious food - is no longer something the world can take for granted. A growing population, climate change, inequality, and the depletion of arable land have made nutrition an increasingly scarce resource in many regions. For Jimmy Ekvall, Innovation Manager - Food, Caldic Europe, the challenge lies in finding sustainable, functional, and accessible alternatives that can help secure the future of food.
“The spotlight has shifted to protein,” Jimmy explains. “It’s not just a nutritional necessity. Protein is integral to so many parts of the food chain - from human diets to enzyme production in industrial processes.”
Among the most promising sources of sustainable protein are pulses. With high protein content, essential nutrients, and an efficient environmental footprint, legumes like peas, chickpeas, lentils, and fava beans are gaining renewed attention across the food industry.
“At Caldic, we’re constantly exploring how to maximize the functionality of plant-based proteins,” says Jimmy, who has spent over 15 years working with a wide range of ingredients - 10 of them at Caldic. “That means going beyond just identifying alternatives; we look at how ingredients behave, how they can be applied, and how they can evolve.”
Working alongside his colleague Magnus Nilsson, Product & Application Developer at our Swedish application lab, Jimmy spends his days developing formulations, testing new ingredients, and identifying plant-based solutions that meet both consumer demands and technical needs. But, as he notes, working with protein - especially plant-based protein - is far from simple.
"A lot of what we do is understand how proteins interact with different applications. We’re always thinking about things like texture, mouthfeel, stability, and shelf life. That’s the kind of complexity that excites us."
One of the biggest shifts in recent years has been the move from isolated protein to whole pulse flour. “For a long time, we focused on isolating proteins to build the best possible texture,” says Jimmy, “but we lose a lot of nutrients in the process. That’s why there’s growing interest in using whole flours again.”
This shift, however, comes with trade-offs. “Pulse flours are rich in starch and fiber, which makes them water retentive. Even with processing, they tend to hold onto moisture, which can impact the final texture and consistency of the food product.”
To navigate these hurdles, Jimmy and his team have been conducting rigorous tests on a range of pulse crops. “We’ve been working with legumes for years now. We screen them for things like emulsification and gel-forming properties - how they dissolve, how they behave under heat, and how they perform in different formulations,” he explains. “We’ve tested flours from peas, lentils, chickpeas, and fava beans.”
The results are sometimes surprising. “We once used a fava bean protein concentrate that, when heated, behaved almost exactly like egg white,” Jimmy shares. “We tested it in a Swedish-style quiche, and the result was fantastic. That’s the kind of application that gets our customers’ attention.”
“We enjoy such challenges at Caldic but contributing to solutions for global food security. Pulses have been part of human diets for thousands of years. It’s time we rediscover what they can really do.”
Las tendencias alimentarias cambian rápidamente: bienestar, sabor, productos vegetales y sustentabilidad. Caldic fusiona aprovisionamiento global con laboratorios locales para cocrear soluciones deliciosas, funcionales y de moda. Apoyamos a las marcas alimentarias a escalar más rápido, reformular con sabiduría y entregar lo que los consumidores anhelan.
Avanzando en el tratamiento de aguas, la recuperación de suelos y la captura de carbono.
