Steve W. Cui
Guelph Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
93 Stone Road West, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 5C9
Both flaxseeds and pulses contain several health enhancing components, such as dietary fibre, proteins, omega-3 fatty acids and anti-oxidants. Extensive researches have been devoted for studying flaxseed and pulses (including peas, lentils, chickpeas and beans). Flaxseed has been considered as “the Functional Foods for the 21st Century” due to its rich contents of (a) alpha-linolenic, (b) lignans, (c) soluble and insoluble dietary fibre. Pulses are also rich in dietary fibres, proteins and phenolics. Recent researches carried out in Canada have proven that consuming both flaxseed and pulses could bring significant health benefits to human.
Canada is the largest producer and exporter of flaxseed and pulses due to its rich agricultural land in the prairie regions, Ontario and Quebec. However, the use of flaxseed and pulses in China are still limited due to regulatory issues and lack of commercial available products. Recent studies in both nutrition and process have paved the way for increasing the export of Canadian flaxseed and pulses into the Chinese market. With the largest population on the earth and ever growing age in the population, the health conscious and need for safe and healthier foods in China are deeply rooted in the consumer’s mind. “Made in Canada” brand and highly nutritious attributes of flaxseed and pulses make them the idea products for the Chinese market.
The current presentation provides an overview of recent R&D results and novel products from our research group as well as other Canadian research institutes, and provides an outlook of the future directions in both flaxseed and pulses.
