Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
This project aims at enhancing both agronomic and end-use quality traits of organic dry beans through plant breeding and developing value-added bean products using environment-friendly and sustainable processing and packaging. Organic bean farmers face production challenges, especially seedling vigor and harvestability that directly impact the bean quality for end-users. Both the production and end-use characteristics can be addressed through genetic improvement, and by considering both togetherin a breeding program, new cultivars are more likely to be adopted by farmers and appeal to consumers. While dry beans are nutrient-rich, the per capita U.S. consumption remains low. Therefore, developing appealing value-added bean products in readily-recyclable and convenient packaging should go hand-in-hand with breeding efforts to further ensure adoption. We propose to breed improved varieties and develop organic bean products of higher quality, which are ready-to-eat, healthy, sustainably processed. Our specific objectives are to 1) Breed dry bean for organic production and end-use quality. 2) Develop value-added organic bean products using sustainable processing and packaging. 3) Sensory evaluation, assessment of consumer preferences and marketing potential of value-added organic bean products. 4) Evaluate package performance of pouches and microwave steamable bags for beans. 5) Disseminate of project results through interactive crop and product evaluations.
Animal Health Component
80%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
20%
Applied
80%
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
The goals of this projectare to 1) Breed dry bean for organic production and end-use quality. 2) Develop value-added organic bean products using sustainable processing and packaging. 3) Sensory evaluation, assessment of consumer preferences and marketing potential of value-added organic bean products. 4) Evaluate package performance of pouches and microwave steamable bags for beans. 5) Disseminate of project results through interactive crop and product evaluations.
Project Methods
Objective 1: Evaluation and breeding for agronomic traits of early seedling vigor and crop dry down at maturity and end-use quality traits of cooking time and canning quality. We will screen for these traits within the black, pinto, kidney, and yellow bean germplasm. The field study design will be 16 entries x 4 locations x 3 reps x 3 years for each of the 4 market classes. The four locations described above are two on-farm organic sites, and two research farms. The phenotyping method to be used for field seedling vigor will be to count percent emergence at 3, 5, 7, and 10 days after planting and to calculate a vigor score based on that data according to the method of Thomas et al. (2009). Field plant dry-down at maturity will be assessed on a visual rating scale of 1 to 5 at RH stage when 80% of pods are at harvest maturity. The rating scale will evaluate uniformity of leaf, stem, and pod dry down at this time point. Harvested seeds will be used for end-use quality evaluations. Cooking time will be using a Mattson pin drop cooker and canning quality attributes, including canned bean appearance, color, water uptake and texture will be measured according to the MSU and USDA-ARS pilot scale canning protocol except that no additives (i.e., calcium chloride) will be included in the canning so they will meet organic requirement.Objective 2: Developing value-added organic bean products using sustainable processing and packaging. Michigan grown organic pinto and black beans will be processed in 1) recyclable retort pouches, and in non-recyclable retort pouches and will be assessed for their physical, chemical and sensory quality attributes. The steps will include bean preparation, packaging and thermal processing, and quality evaluation. The same beans will be 2) IQF processed as follows: beans will be soaked and blanched/cooked at 98.8 ºC (local boiling temperature) for 10 or 15 min to achieve soft/palatable texture and minimize or completely eliminate lectins. Cooked beans will be placed on perforated, stainless steels trays in single layer, and frozen at −20 ºC (lab-scale) and in a continuous belt freezer at Food Product Innovation Center (pilot scale), and a final processing run will be carried out at a commercial facility in Michigan.Objective 3: Sensory evaluation and assessment of consumer preferences and marketing potential of value-added organic bean products. Consumer panels of 100-member each will be used for the sensory evaluation of (i) thermally-processed beans in recyclable retort pouches and (ii) IQF-processed beans in microwave steamable bags will be performed. We will use 3 consumer panels each, in years 1 and 2 for a total of 6 total panels. The commercially canned beans and skillet-cooked/steamed beans will be used as controls for #(i) and (ii), respectively. We will conduct two consumer choice studies: one online and one in-person to understand consumer acceptance and willingness to pay for value-added beans.Objective 4: Evaluate package integrity/quality performance of recyclable retort pouches for thermally-processed and microwave steamable bags for individually quick frozen (IQF) of beans. By applying thermal retort process, performance of recyclable retort pouches (PP/SiOx/OPP structure; i.e., polypropylene/silicone-oxide, oriented polypropylene) and conventional retort pouches (PP/aluminum foil/PET structure; PET, polyethylene terephthalate) will be evaluated. We will also focus on characterization of physical, mechanical, and barrier integrity of recyclable retort pouch before and after thermal processing. Thermal stability will be assessed using differential scanning calorimetry. Peel strength analysis for flexible barrier materials will be analyzed by Instron Universal Testing Machine (Model 4400 R) as per ASTM F88. The water vapor permeability of both films will be determined using a Mocon Permatran-W 3/34 as per ASTM E398, and oxygen permeability will be analyzed with Mocon OX-TRAN 2/22 as per ASTM D3985. The recyclability for both conventional retort pouch and recyclable retort pouch will be tested using mechanical recycling. The nutritional and physical properties of IQF beans in the steamtable bags will be compared with regular (non-steamable) bags to assess quality changes.Objective 5: Dissemination of project results though outreach/extension activities to scientific community and consumers. Variety trials will be conducted on-farm on certified organic farms, two per year. When the beans are nearing maturity, an extension event will be held where farmers are invited to visit the plots and evaluate the varieties for agronomic characteristics. Once those trials are harvested, the beans will be thermally processed in cans and pouches following organic specifications on additives. An event will be organized each year for farmers, elevators, and processors to evaluate the processing quality of each variety. We will get feedback from participants on preferred cultivars. During these evaluation events we will also give presentations/have discussions on seed handling practices. Processing and packaging: Processing organic beans in in recyclable flexible pouches is an emerging new sector of the food industry, and currently available organic beans in pouches, which are non-recyclable, are of very poor quality. Extension materials for the bean processors will be developed based on the processing and quality optimization research of this proposal. Besides, bean processors, the extension team will also target a broader range of organic food processors to introduce recyclability and pouch processing technology to other organic commodities. We will develop and validate extension publications, web-based videos, webinars, and presentations to be used at regional and national processor meetings and professional conferences. Marketing impact outreach: The results of consumer sensory evaluation and marketing impact studies will be disseminated via trade shows to Research Chefs Association (RCA), retail and institutional foodservice audience, and culinary experts. We will share the marketing impact results with national/regional organic agriculture stakeholders.