Understanding the mechanisms of pulse microstructural transformation under thermal treatments

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Increasing demand for plant-based food that is rich in protein has created a need for innovative processing and advanced quality control methods that can improve the nutritional, functional, and sensory quality of novel foods. Pulses are known for their exceptional nutritional benefits and an ideal source for protein-rich food/ingredient. Despite previous knowledge gained about the processing of pulses, there is still a significant amount of information to be gained on how thermal pre-treatment processes affect the quality of individual pulse seeds and how this knowledge can be used to formulate new high-quality food products for the consumer (e.g., extruded snacks, bread, pasta, meat alternatives, etc.). Thermal pre-treatments applied during pulse processing significantly affects their physical, chemical, mechanical, and functional properties. There is a lack of quantitative information and a knowledge gap in understanding the mechanisms of such complex chemico-structural transformations in seeds. Therefore, there is a need for a fundamental understanding of how structural changes occur, and more importantly, how these changes can be controlled, manipulated, and optimized. I hypothesize that microstructural changes and the development of porosity in seeds due to micro-cracks made through heat pre-treatments are tunable and could be beneficial for various processing applications (i.e., milling, storage). The long-term objective of my research program is to be able to enhance the real-time quality control through understanding the mechanisms by which food processing induces microstructural changes in foods and thereby food quality. My program will adopt a multidisciplinary approach of applying food engineering, chemometrics, and multiscale modeling methodologies to achieve the following short-term objectives over the next five years: i) Investigate the mechanisms of microstructural transformations in pulses under two thermal treatments (infrared and superheated steam) using advanced three-dimensional quantitative modeling, ii) Resolve the relationship between seed morphological and textural parameters, which could be tailored to specific food application, and iii) Develop a non-destructive chemical mapping technique for real-time quality control of pulse-based ready-to-eat foods. The proposed studies will provide mathematical models describing the development of food micro-porosity, moisture and protein mapping techniques. This will benefit the Canadian pulse secondary processing sector and will unlock the full potential for pulse utilization. This hypothesis-driven research program will promote the training of 1 PhD, 2 MSc and 5 undergraduate students. The HQP will be exposed to an inclusive, multidisciplinary training program that will enhance their future career development in both academia and agri-food industry.