As the winner of the 2010 Mungbean Crop Competition I had the great pleasure of attending a study tour of Taiwan to see firsthand the uses of Mungbeans. The study tour was an eye opener on the uses of Mungbeans. Mungbean Starch used for glass noodle manufacture, whole beans for sprouting and whole grain for use in drinks to name a few.
The sprouting factory tours were interesting and to sit and talk about the quality requirements showed where the Australian products sits in the global market. Most sprout manufacturers had commented on their previous experiences with Australian Mungbeans and the reasoning behind the continued use of Chinese products.
A highlight of the trip included a visit to the World Vegetable Centre, AVRDC in Tainan, which has the most comprehensive germplasm storage for Mungbean seeds from around the globe. The tour of the centre included a walk through the vegetable gardens that has actively growing a range of products including our own Berken Mungbean variety. The array of plant types that are being developed as high iron foods, which we consider as weeds, is amazing. My discussion of this Mungbean industry will include images of the trip and the various factories and facilities that we had visited.