Welcome to BENEO’s FAQ hub!

Yes, faba beans provide a good source of plant-based protein with many essential amino acids. Additionally, they are high in fibre, vitamins, and minerals and hence are nutritious and good for you.

Challenges:

• Susceptibility to diseases and pests.
• Sensitivity to environmental conditions.
• Limited market awareness and demand in some regions.
• They contain some antinutrients. People suffering

from favism show a reaction to the consumption of some substances naturally occurring in faba bean and should therefore abstain from the consumption of faba bean. Hence BENEO recommends a clear labelling on product.

Opportunities:

• Increasing demand for plant-based proteins.
• Potential for crop rotation and soil health improvement: more diverse crop rotation, deep rooting of the soil
• Reduction of nitrogen fertilization due to the fact that faba bean fixes nitrogen from the air and releases a surplus into the soil. Like many legumes, the faba bean also forms a symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing bacteria and thus has the ability to bind nitrogen from the air. This means that nitrogen fertilization is not necessary.
• Versatile uses in food products and animal feed.
• Faba bean cultivation has a/can have a positive effect on biodiversity
• Phytosanitary advantages:
  • Important component in the control of grasses and the prevention of resistance
  • Ensures a change of active ingredient in the crop rotation

Food and drink manufacturers can use faba bean protein concentrate or flours in various food products due to some of its excellent functionalities like solubility, emulsification and foamability. Some example applications are protein bars, shakes, meat alternatives, baked goods, and dairy alternatives. It is also used in protein supplements and as an ingredient in processed foods to boost nutritional content.

Faba beans can be utilized in agriculture as:

• A rotational crop to improve soil fertility due to their nitrogen-fixing ability.
• A rotational crop to improve phytosanitary conditions due interruption of grain-specific infection chains and pushing back problem weeds like blackgrass.
• A cover crop to prevent soil erosion and improve soil health.
• A forage crop for livestock feed.
• A soil improving crop (deep rooting, breakdown of compactions, nutrient absorption from the subsoil, loosening of the crumb, positive humus effect, improving the water holding capacity of the soil, increase in earthworm population)
• Increasing agrobiodiversity by delivering additional pollen and nectar for wild and honey bees and other nectar-collecting, pollinating insects such as bumblebees or hoverflies through legume flowers
• Faba beans can secrete nectar through their leaves before flowering (extrafloral nectaries) and are therefore a particularly early source of food in spring

Faba beans have a positive environmental impact due to their nitrogen-fixing ability, which improves soil fertility and reduces the need for synthetic fertilizers. They also help in crop rotation and hence can support biodiversity and reduce soil erosion.

Yes, faba beans can fit well in crop rotation plans. They improve soil health and fertility, break pest and disease cycles, and can enhance yields of subsequent crops.

Feeding faba beans to animals is practical and beneficial. They provide a high-protein feed source for livestock such as poultry, pigs, and ruminants. However, antinutrients like tannins and vicine/convicine must be managed through proper processing.

Faba bean cultivation supports biodiversity by providing habitats for various insects and microorganisms. Their nectar containing flowers also provide food for various insects. Their use in crop rotations diversifies planting systems, reducing the reliance on monocultures and promoting ecological balance.