Pulse Fiction – Pulse Fiction – Minimally processed pulse-based products to support healthy, responsible eating and a sustainable supply chain

The originality of the project lies in its multidisciplinary approach (food science, psychology, physical chemistry, anthropology, information and communication sciences), which aims to develop intermediate food products (IFPs) designed according to precise specifications, taking into account the obstacles and needs expressed by consumers and producers. A chef will help create simple and tasty recipes to facilitate their adoption in everyday life.

Three main areas of focus:

• Sensory, cognitive, and cultural assessment of consumers (consumer sciences, psychology, anthropology)
• Physico-chemical analysis and product development (food science, physico-chemistry)
• Promotion, acceptability, and support for the adoption of pulses (information and communication sciences)

The consumer at the heart of the project

Although the range of pulse-based products is growing, their consumption in France remains too low. Yet they are recognized for their nutritional and environmental benefits. Pulse Fiction aims to better understand the barriers to consumption: why are these products appealing in theory but not always on the plate? At what point does the consumer give up? What is holding them back?

To answer these questions, the project takes a multidisciplinary approach combining psychology, sociology, and anthropology to identify how products are perceived, accepted, and integrated (or not) into daily eating habits.

The work is being carried out through a unique ethnographic study aimed at observing and understanding the consumption of pulses, from the store to the plate, within households. Participants open their kitchens, cupboards, and refrigerators and share their recipes, techniques, and culinary memories in order to capture their knowledge, skills, and everyday practices. For example, an initial immersion took place at Traiteur KËR, a Dijon-based association that promotes integration through cooking and supports women from migrant backgrounds. These rich exchanges demonstrate the diversity of food uses, culinary cultures, and approaches to pulses.

Suitable products, simple recipes

Consumers often express paradoxical expectations: they want to eat unprocessed pulses, which are perceived as more natural and healthy... but they face very real constraints. Preparing them is considered time-consuming, sometimes tedious, and there is a lack of recipe ideas. As a result, many turn to ready-to-use products, which are often highly processed and which they then consider less healthy.

Pulse Fiction offers an alternative: developing minimally processed products that are easy to use at home, and supporting their adoption with simple, accessible recipes. The goal is to remove practical barriers, restore confidence, and rekindle the desire to cook these foods on a daily basis, reconciling stated expectations with actual usage.

“Our goal is to identify the properties that an ideal product should have in order to be perceived as attractive, practical, and acceptable on a sensory and cognitive level. In other words, we want to get inside the consumer's head to remove any barriers,” explains Stéphanie Chambaron, co-coordinator of the Pulse Fiction project.

To achieve this, the project takes into account all the factors that influence uptake: preparation time and cost, organoleptic properties, digestibility, satiety, environmental impact (via life cycle analysis), not to mention the development of recipes suitable for home use.

A chef will be actively involved in this process, devising simple, tasty recipes that are easy to reproduce at home. Because in order to increase pulse consumption, it is also necessary to provide practical support for changes in eating habits, to make people want to cook them, by offering practical advice, concrete ideas, and know-how that is accessible to all.

She explains : “Specifically, we work on intermediate food products (PAI): for example, flours that will serve as a base for homemade or artisanal preparations, and which naturally find their place in culinary habits.” 

Exploring the structure of supply chains

Finally, the project closely involves farmers, because developing pulse production only makes sense if demand follows. Encouraging their consumption means securing outlets, diversifying crops, and building a virtuous circle that benefits all links in the chain, from field to plate. The project therefore seeks to better understand the realities on the ground: What are the obstacles or opportunities for farmers? How can pulse crops be promoted at the local level? What outlets exist or remain to be created?

The idea is to propose solutions that reconcile practicality for the consumer, added value for the farmer, and environmental and territorial coherence.

“Over the coming months, this step-by-step approach, from field to plate, should enable us to remove obstacles one by one, reveal levers, and jointly develop virtuous food solutions and sustainable supply chains rooted in our regions,” summarises Stéphanie Chambaron, project co-coordinator.

The project also includes a significant awareness component. The goal is to create effective communication tools and clear messages to encourage consumers to adopt new pulse-based solutions. These messages will then be tested, refined, and adapted to ensure that they are well understood and well received.