The Pulse
July 18, 2024

NAIT's Centre for Culinary Innovation is embarking on a new waste-reduction project worth $1 million as it continues to develop groundbreaking products with local food and beverage companies.

Formed in 2019, the centre is part of NAIT's Applied Research department. A core focus is product development, especially for plant-based foods. Recent highlights include developing a dairy-free liqueur, creating misos from pulses, and collaborating with a chocolate scientist to increase production.

On July 3, Dan Vandal, the minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada pledged $1,038,538 toward NAIT's applied research, including work at the centre looking into how the plant-protein industry can "reduce food waste by converting starch by-products into high-value sugars," the announcement said.

"There's so much opportunity out there to valorize what we used to consider waste, and what we would then just use as animal feed," Linda Ho, the applied research chair in agri-food sustainability for NAIT Applied Research told Taproot about the latest project. "(We're) really going back to the idea of regenerative ag and using everything that comes from a plant. Our ancestors used to do that all the time."

Ho believes starch byproducts from pulses (think peas, beans, and lentils) could be the next cornstarch, an ingredient that's ubiquitous in processed foods. Ho was promoted to the chair position last month and still serves as the centre's lead food scientist. The centre has experience in experimenting with pulses, partly from producing pulse-based misos, typically made with soybeans, as funded by Results Driven Agriculture Research and Alberta Pulse Growers. The goal was to develop an ingredient that enhances the umami flavour of plant-based meat substitutes, but NAIT's misos have more chocolatey and floral flavour notes.

"We tried something, it didn't work, and so we pivoted," Ho said. "It's kind of an introduction to the Western palate. How can you actually use these ingredients beyond just as a meat substitute? It's using innovation and weaving it into something that is more approachable." (The pulse-based miso is now used in offerings at Tryst in St. Albert.)

The centre also works with Edmonton companies to solve product challenges. Hansen Distillery developed its dairy-free, oat milk-based liqueur with NAIT. Hansen won a Made In Alberta Award in 2021 for its Salted Caramel Cream Liqueur. Its intention to create a dairy-free alternative with NAIT, though, was complex and lasted four years. There were supply chain issues during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the concept is also difficult to perfect. Roughly 80 recipes were tested.

"Some of the initial ingredients that were used were sourced from Europe, so when we started to look at supply chain and cost, it was too expensive," Ho said about developing the liqueur's unique formula. "Bringing it back to local when we brought our food scientists in really pushed it to be able to be commercialized with (NAIT food scientist) Chris Song … He really focused on the locality of ingredients and whether or not you could actually source them."

Another Edmonton company, 7 Summits Snacks, now works with the centre to find high quality ingredients at the right price and tweak its recipes to allow it to scale up its production. Co-founder Kristyn Carriere is herself a chocolate scientist who has worked for industry leaders like Cadbury in Birmingham, U.K. The company produces dark chocolate snack bars for endurance athletes and a line focused on superfoods. Products from 7 Summits are available at more than 100 vendors in Canada. Its goji berry and Himalayan salt-flavoured Everest superfood bar won Best Snack at the Alberta Food Processors Association Awards last month.

• Edmonton recorded a new record high for July 17, when temperatures hit 34°C, breaking the previous high of 33.9°C from 1920. It was the fourth day of record heat in Edmonton since July 8. Forecasts suggest Edmonton could break heat records every day from July 18-23, a period likely to go down as the longest-ever stretch of consecutive days over 30°C, CTV News reported.
• Taste of Edmonton is set to launch in Churchill Square at 11am on July 18 and will wrap up on July 28. The festival is celebrating its 40th anniversary with 40 booths and eight food trucks, including 11 new restaurants and two new trucks. More than 90 artisans and vendors will also participate, and musical performances begin at 12pm daily.
• Criminologist Temitope Oriola wrote an op-ed calling for answers in the wake of the police shooting of Mathios Arkangelo on June 29. "The videos depict an extremely lackadaisical approach to lethal force and a deeply troubling carefree attitude to human life," wrote Oriola, citing a 25-minute video released by Arkangelo's family. Oriola also pointed to 2023 CBC reporting that suggests Alberta has the highest rate of police-involved deaths per capita of any province. The June 29 shooting is being investigated by the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team.
• The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team is investigating a police shooting that happened near Whyte Avenue and 93 Street NW just after 12am on July 17. Edmonton Police Service officers were responding to reports of a man pointing a gun at a civilian. They shot the man after finding him pointing what appeared to be a gun at a city bus. Police said they recovered a replica gun from the scene. The man is in hospital in critical but stable condition.
• The Italian Air Force Aerobatic Team, known as Frecce Tricolori, will perform over Edmonton on July 18 as part of a North American tour, its first in more than 30 years. The performances in Canada are celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Air Force. The tour visited Vancouver on July 16, leaving green, white, and red streaks in the sky to the surprise of many residents.
• CTV News caught up with Darryl Learie, an Edmonton man who has taken more than 7,500 photos and 1,300 videos for Google Street View, often while dressed as an alien. Learie has recorded more than 86 kilometres of trails and parks since last year, a third of them while wearing an alien mask. Learie says his goal is to inform people about the conditions and accessibility of Edmonton's trails.
• Canadian North airline has installed a new Boeing 737NG Full-Flight Simulator at the Edmonton International Airport, which will reduce the need to send pilots away for training. The airline says it will meet all its Boeing 737NG training requirements with the simulator, which will also be available to pilots of other airlines. Airport CEO Myron Keehn has called the simulator a "huge milestone" for the Edmonton region and the industry as a whole. It will run out of the airport's Alberta Aerospace and Technology Centre.
• Podcaster Craig Baird, who hosts Canadian History Ehx, appeared on CBC's This is Edmonton podcast to talk about his show, which has explored Canadian history through more than 550 episodes. CBC is spending the summer profiling the creators of other Edmonton-based podcasts.
• Edmonton Centre MP and Federal Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault is once again being scrutinized for whether he remained active in his former business dealings after being appointed to cabinet. A preliminary ethics probe cleared Boissonnault of the allegations in early July, with the only evidence being texts sent by Boissonnault's former business partner, Stephen Anderson, that refer to someone named "Randy." This week, Anderson told a House of Commons ethics committee that all cases of "Randy" in the texts were caused by autocorrect and admitted to previously lying to a reporter about the identity of the other "Randy." Anderson's statements raised suspicions among Conservatives and the NDP that the "Randy" in the texts is indeed Boissonnault, Postmedia reported.
• Five current and former Edmonton Riverhawks players are now prospects in Major League Baseball. Ivan Brethowr, who played for the team during the 2022 season, became the first former Riverhawks player drafted into the major leagues, followed soon by Ryan Magdic. Current Riverhawks player Gavin Smith was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays, while pitcher Vicarte Domingo has joined the San Diego Padres. Catcher Tommy Takayoshi was signed by the Oakland Athletics as a free agent.

Here are opportunities to inform municipal planning related to climate action, neighbourhood renewal, and more. Please only answer surveys from the municipality where you are a resident.

• Climate Resilience Planning and Development Action Plan — The City of Edmonton has identified 15 actions it can take to improve resilience in the face of climate change, based on best practices, research, and past stakeholder engagement. Administration plan to present the action plan to council in October. The public can review the 15 draft actions and complete a survey before July 23.
• Wîhkwêntôwin (Oliver) Neighbourhood Renewal — The City of Edmonton is wrapping up a round of engagement for its renewal of Wîhkwêntôwin. The first round of proposed design options include changes to streets, sidewalks, bike lanes, and public spaces that prioritize pedestrians over cars. Residents can complete an online survey until June 25.
• Municipal Development Plan Update — Parkland County is renewing its plan for long-term growth and development, including land use planning, service planning, and community expansion. Residents can attend an open house at the Parkland County Centre on July 23 or complete a survey until Aug. 7.

More input opportunities

• Until July 24: Mary Burlie Park Renewal — Design (City of Edmonton)
• Until July 28: Paths For People's 2024 Missing Links campaign (City of Edmonton)
• Until July 31: Agriculture Master Plan — Refine (Sturgeon County)
• Until July 31: 2025 Budget Engagement Survey (Parkland County)
• Until Aug. 11: Animal Licensing and Control Bylaw Renewal — Phase 2 (City of Edmonton)
• Until Aug. 11: Granville Rezoning (City of Edmonton)
• Until Aug. 2: Transit Master Plan Update — Survey (Strathcona County)
• Until Aug. 18: Open Space Master Plan — Vision (Strathcona County)
• Until Aug. 18: Plan for Parks — Recreation and Conservation Strategy (Government of Alberta)
• Until Aug. 31: Business Census (City of Edmonton)
• Until Sept. 6: Submissions for Made in Leduc County cookbook — 2nd edition (Leduc County)
• Until Oct. 20: Naturalization Survey (City of Edmonton)

Photo: Administration is proposing 15 actions the City of Edmonton can take to "integrate climate adaptation and mitigation into the land use planning and development continuum." The actions relate to permitting, solar power, electric vehicle infrastructure, and more. Results of the current survey will help refine and prioritize the draft actions, administration said. (Kevin Holowack)

Here are some events happening today in the Edmonton area.

• U of A Crop Science Field Day starting at 9am at the University of Alberta South Campus
• EcoFloats: Morning Explorer Float starting at 9:30am and Sunset Float starting at 4pm at Dawson Park
• Art Hive starting at 12pm at the Art Gallery of Alberta
• Residential Mass Timber House Tour starting at 12pm at 8915 Strathearn Drive NW
• Thirsty Thursday featuring Growlery Beer Co. starting at 6pm at Snow Valley
• Reception and Celebration: Fire in her Hands starting at 6pm at the Art Gallery of St. Albert
• re:invention Reception starting at 6:30pm at Gallery@501

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• Aug. 1: Public Art Tours at the Art Gallery of St. Albert
• Aug. 2-4: Blueberry Music Festival at Heritage Park Pavilion
• Aug. 5-10: Hlinka Gretzky Cup at Rogers Place

Visit the beta version of the Taproot Edmonton Calendar for many more events in the Edmonton region.