Two students from The Culinary Institute of Canada earned a silver medal in the national Mission ImPULSEible competition recently.
The Mission: ImPULSEible food product development competition was created by Pulse Canada in 2009 as a way to get university and college students interested in using pulses and pulse ingredients in the development of new food products. Pulses are legumes (for example, lentils, chickpeas and beans) that are very high in fibre, a good source of protein, are low in fat, and are packed with essential nutrients. Successful Mission: ImPULSEible competitions have been held each year since 2009 and have resulted in the development of innovative pulse products.
The students, Jason Bullee and Patricia Connolly from the Applied Degree in Culinary Operations program, were coached by Dr. Ed Charter from BIO|FOOD|TECH. In the spring the team placed first in a regional competition in Halifax, earning the right to represent Atlantic Canada in the nationals. They developed “VegaMax,” an all-natural, nutrient-dense chickpea milk beverage that is free of lactose, soy, wheat and gluten, and containing natural flavours from strawberries.
Chef Austin Clement, program manager for The Culinary Institute of Canada, said the students’ success clearly demonstrates the value of collaboration.
“This competition is more than just an exercise. Jason and Patricia, under the guidance of Dr. Charter, have developed a product that will be viable in the marketplace. It is the collaborative nature of the partnership between The Culinary Institute of Canada and BIO|FOOD|TECH that makes these culinary advances possible,” he said.
BIO|FOOD|TECH is a technology centre owned by Innovation PEI and provides assistance to food and bioscience companies seeking to take product concepts through pilot scale-up and then to the market. Ed Charter manages product and process development at BIO|FOOD|TECH but also teaches the course in food product development at The Culinary Institute of Canada. “The students from the applied degree program participated in the pulse competition as part of their course. There were a number of excellent prototypes developed, but Jason and Patricia definitely came up with a really unique approach based on blending knowledge of science and nutrition with their culinary talents,” said Dr. Charter.
First place in the national competition was awarded to Team Ontario and third place was awarded to Team British Columbia.
For more information about programs offered at The Culinary Institute of Canada, visit hollandcollege.com/culinary-institute-of-canada or call 1-800-446-5265. For more information about BIO|FOOD|TECH, visit biofoodtech.ca or call 1-877-368-5548.