Targeted raw materials for different product types will give competitive advantage to domestic high quality plant based products
The Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) and food industry actors are jointly launching a research project to identify the variety-specific characteristics of oats and faba beans and investigate their suitability as a raw material for various food products. The aim is to develop the characteristics of oat and faba bean varieties with new genomic breeding technologies. Varieties tailored to the needs of the food industry can bring significant competitive advantage to Finnish companies and increase business and export opportunities.
The demand for plant-based foods is growing globally. Recent national nutrition recommendations also call for an increase in the amount of vegetables and plant-based products on the plate. The project, coordinated by the Natural Resources Institute Finland, promotes the product development of plant-based foods by improving the properties of raw materials. The project is part of Valio’s Food 2.0 leading company program and is funded by Business Finland, food industry companies and the Natural Resources Institute Finland.
“The product development of plant-based foods is based on raw materials. Currently, several different varieties are used for plant-based products, resulting in unpredictable availability, uneven quality and therefore raw material waste. One and the same variety does not bend to different plant-based products, and it is a different thing to make, for example, plant-based yoghurts, oatmeal, oat bread or even pulled oats,” says Project Coordinator Sirja Viitala from Luke.
New technologies support the shift to sustainable food system
In addition to quality and food product-specific suitability, processing can affect, for example, taste. New technologies are being developed for breeding, such as genomic selection using genomic data and gene editing.
New processing technologies significantly reduce processing time and costs. They also allow varieties tailored for a particular purpose to be developed more quickly.
“The advantage of these technologies is speed and accuracy compared to traditional breeding, where the time window is 10–15 years. With gene editing, we can carry out precision breeding, that is, only affect selected features,” Viitala says.
A high-quality raw material suitable for different products and its better controllability in industrial processes can also bring Finland a competitive advantage in the food market both at home and abroad. There is room for growth, for example, in exports. In 2023, nearly 450 million kilos of oats were exported from Finland. In the future, highly processed products could be exported instead of raw materials.
“Deep understanding of the raw materials used is crucial for producing high quality products. The differences between varieties and seasonal crops of oat and fababean and their impact on end products still remain unclear. With LUKE’s knowhow on genetics and the cooperation with Boreal, Fazer, Raisio, Lantmännen and Viking Malt we will take major leap into fully controllable value chain from field to food,” explains Saara Pöyri, VP Technology and Product Development at Valio.
The Functionality and quality-enhanced faba beans and oats for the food industry (FABulOATS) project is part of Valio’s Food 2.0 leading company program and is funded by Business Finland, food industry actors and the Natural Resources Institute Finland.
The partners and financiers of the project are the plant breeding company Boreal Plant Breeding Ltd and the food companies Valio Oy, Oy Karl Fazer Ab, Viking Malt Oy, Ravintoraisio Oy and Vaasan Oy, and the Central Union of Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners MTK.
Additional information: Saara Pöyri – Valio, saara.poyri@valio.fi and Sirja Viitala – LUKE, sirja.viitala@luke.fi
Good to know: New Genomic Breeding Technologies
Genome selection and gene editing are new breeding methods that enable faster achievement of breeding goals. Genomic selection utilizes DNA data and sophisticated calculation algorithms to predict the genetic value of individuals and to identify those with desirable traits. The method speeds up, refines and reduces processing costs. Genomic selection is not about genetic modification, that is, the genome is not altered by genetic technology.
Gene editing methods, such as CRISPR/Cas9 scissors, represent a new generation of genetic technology that can accurately modify the beneficial properties of plants by modifying individual or a few genes. Currently, these technologies are subject to GMO regulation, which requires strict authorisation procedures. Regulatory changes are currently being considered in the EU that could allow some genetically edited plants to be assimilated to plants produced using conventional breeding methods.