Project

Launching West African cowpea as ingredient and consumer food in the EU

The objective of the project is to develop the basis for launching West African cowpea as ingredient and consumer food in the EU. This is done through:

  • Developing the network of companies around this new business opportunity;
  • Matching buyer’s needs to a network of producers, traders and processors;
  • Applying knowledge tools for insight into demand, business cases, material risk and impact;
  • Identify scaling and replication opportunity.

Cowpea flour has untapped potential

The protein transition that is needed for making European food systems more sustainable brings the need to diversify the ingredient base for plant food. In 2022, an SMP successfully addressed the business interest in European sourcing.

Cowpea milk with 3% protein content. The preliminary results are promising with good colour and mild odour.
Cowpea milk with 3% protein content. The preliminary results are promising with good colour and mild odour.

Pulses from West Africa represent a valuable potential addition to the current palette. Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) is an African annual crop, grown mainly in semiarid tropical regions. Its well-known variety black-eyed beans is a staple for West Africans, also among the diaspora community in Europe, where it is used in different ways, e.g. as thickener for soups, flour for bean cake, in local dish Moin Moin and pealed.

Cowpea bread baked with 47% cowpea-protein flour (amongst other ingredients such as cassava flour). The preliminary results show a good volume of the bread bun achieved and pleasant color with beany odor of the bun.
Cowpea bread baked with 47% cowpea-protein flour (amongst other ingredients such as cassava flour). The preliminary results show a good volume of the bread bun achieved and pleasant color with beany odor of the bun.

Cowpea flour has untapped potential as a functional ingredient with properties such as high solubility and foam stability. For this reason, this project exploits the emerging interest in the use of cowpeas for dairy substitutes, smoothies, bakery products, and meat replacers, targeting a new clientele that focuses on healthy eating or foods from sustainable sources or with designated cultural origins.

Main activities

The main activities of the project have been researching opportunities for the demand side of the supply chain, with a focus on consumer behaviour and product development:

  • Consumer analysis on cowpea-based products;
  • Piloting Cowpea flour and Cowpea protein-rich flour in milk applications;
  • Piloting Cowpea flour and Cowpea protein-rich flour in bakery applications;
  • Local market analysis in Ghana and Nigeria;
  • Innovation workshop with West-African and European companies.

Publications