University of Manitoba

Purpose

Field peas represent a staple food protein crop for human nutrition with high global demand. The quality of the protein found in peas is defined by the balance of indispensable (essential) amino acids that comprise the main storage proteins, as well as the overall digestibility of the protein. Many factors are known to impact the protein quality of peas, both positively and negatively, including varietal differences, environmental factors, and processing conditions. Of relevance to the current project are key environmental factors during plant growth, including precipitation, temperature, and ambient atmospheric CO2 concentrations. These factors are of increasing importance in the face of climate change. The primary objective of the project therefore to study the impact of controlled changes in temperature, moisture and CO2 concentrations during the growing cycle of a select modern and commercially relevant pea cultivar, with particular emphasis on protein quality attributes, including amino acid composition, digestibility and select anti-nutritive factors.