The mung bean is now mainly grown in Asia, but this year, for the first time, professional experience is being gained with cultivation in the Netherlands. The crop is shown in studies to be a good and vegetable protein alternative.
On a plot just outside Varsseveld in Gelderland, partners in the ‘Mung Bean’ project are looking at the test plot of grower Erik Schieven. He is participating in the project from the consultancy firm Trustgreen. Schieven himself is not entirely satisfied with the state of the mung beans, but still sees prospects for the crop in the Netherlands.
‘We will first see if the cultivation is successful in the Netherlands. Only then will the revenue model be addressed’, emphasizes Schieven. The mung bean project officially started on March 1, 2023 and ends on March 1, 2027.
Grower Erik Schieven showed in mid-August that the first fruits are on the mung bean plant. © Job Hiddink
In addition to the feasibility of cultivation, Het Foodatelier, Trustgreen, Meiland Azewijn, Cono Kaasmakers and Huuskes are investigating whether the beans can be processed into high-quality basic material for meat and dairy substitutes. Current plant-based protein alternatives are mainly based on soy or peas and have too many disadvantages, both environmentally and nutritionally.
First see if the cultivation is successful, then the revenue model comes into play
Erik Schieven, grower and participant in the ‘Mung bean’ project
‘We started on a small scale last year and harvested the mung beans manually. This year we are taking a more professional approach’, Schieven explains. ‘In June, contractor Meiland Azewijn sowed 400,000 bean seeds per hectare with a beet sower. In a few weeks, this contractor will thresh the mung beans with a combine. We are curious to see how that goes.’
The intention was to sow the beans at the beginning of May, but due to the wetness it did not work until the beginning of June. Schieven: ‘The soil was already nice and warm, they were already up after five days. But two days later a large part was gone again. Pigeons ate everything.’ In the end, the crop could not be put back in the ground until two weeks later due to the wetness.
Loss of mung bean plot in Varsseveld, mainly caused by hares and pigeons. © Job Hiddink
The advantage, according to the grower, was that he could first prepare a false seedbed. ‘That made a big difference in the weed pressure. We didn’t use any soil herbicide, which meant that a lot of weeds still came through a while after emergence.’ He then hoeed a few times to keep it from getting out of hand, although that didn’t happen automatically either due to the difficult field conditions.
The trial field in Varsseveld has eight different varieties. During the trial field visit in mid-August, a Chinese mung bean variety – whose name may not be mentioned – stands out. This variety is by far the best and is also the least eaten by pigeons and hares.
A Chinese mung bean variety is doing best on the trial field in both Varsseveld and Vethuizen. © Job Hiddink
In all other breeds, the feeding damage of these animals is clearly visible. According to Schieven, hares in particular thrive on the plot. An avenue of trees on one side and maize on the other side offer nice shelter. ‘Next season we are going to fence the plot with wire mesh, because the hares are the biggest problem now.’
Rik Leijzer of Meiland Azewijn sowed two varieties for the mung bean project, but on a smaller scale than Schieven and on clay soil in Vethuizen, about 15 kilometers from Varsseveld. There too, the Chinese mung bean variety is doing best with a corresponding healthy foliage package.
The stand of the Chinese mung bean variety (left) in Vethuizen. The foliage looks very healthy. © Job Hiddink
‘Growth is going well’, Leijzer notes. ‘We have some structural spots in the plot due to the wet spring. But because we sprayed a soil herbicide, the weed pressure is not too bad. There are also small beans visible on the plants.’ The plot is located in a more open landscape than in Varsseveld, so there is no damage from pigeons or hares.
With the preliminary good results of the Chinese mung bean variety, Schieven expects to sow more area of this variety next year. In addition, he will continue to test other promising varieties. According to the grower, it is not clear whether seed companies are active in the breeding of new varieties. ‘Bean breeders in the Netherlands are certainly not working on it’, he knows.
Mung bean has a wide range of applications
Product developer and chef Jelle Wagenaar used his expertise on ingredients and preparation methods for Schieven’s first mung bean harvest last year. According to Wagenaar, the great advantage of the mung bean is that it can be used more widely than field beans and soy. ‘That has to do with the neutral taste of the mung bean, but also because it is a gluten-free product’, he says.
Just like lentils, you can’t eat mung beans fresh, but you have to soak them first. Wagenaar: ‘That’s also better for digestion.’ Mung beans are good for digestion and have a positive impact on intestinal flora. With 24 grams of protein per 100 grams of product, it has a high protein content.
In the coming period, various lab tests are planned to look at, among other things, the texture of the mung bean, reports Anne Ardts, product manager sustainability at Het Foodatelier. This company is the lead partner of the mung bean project.
‘Next year we will look at products to which we can structurally add the mung bean, with a focus on sports nutrition. In addition, we are also investigating the possibilities for application in plant-based dairy products. The most important thing is to discover where the mung bean is functional and which variety thrives best in the Dutch climate’, Ardts indicates.
The partners in the ‘Mungboon’ project. © Job Hiddink
Efro-Oost contributes to the ‘Mung Bean’ project
The project is subsidized by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)-East. The project partners provide the remainder of the financing. They investigate how mung beans grown in the eastern Netherlands can be processed into high-quality basic material for meat and dairy substitutes. The current vegetable protein alternatives are mainly based on soy or peas and still have too large an ecological footprint or are not optimal as a healthy diet. The Asian mung bean emerges as a good alternative in a feasibility study. The partners want to deliberately set up the chain locally in order to control quality issues, but also to make an extra sustainability leap and offer Dutch farmers a fully-fledged cultivation alternative.
