Biorefining Protein from UK Grasslands - Can We Combine Novel Protein with Surplus Bread Crusts to Sustainably Feed Healthier Food to More People?
Lead Research Organisation:
Aberystwyth University
Department Name: IBERS
Abstract
Vegetarian and flexitarian diets are a growing, long-term trend, with the latter achieving 9% growth per annum. Among the future needs of these discerning consumers are a strong preference for non-GM, ethically sourced plant-protein supported by traceable supply chain credentials ensuring environmental and socially responsible farm to fork manufacture.
The development of new protein-rich ingredients involves many challenges to the food industry as the product must have a high nutritional value, no allergenicity, adequate technological properties, acceptable flavour and mouthfeel. Through co-fermentation anti-nutritional factors can be degraded, protein structures are developed, and other metabolites and flavours are produced; thus, controlling the substrate, organism and process could help develop a novel biorefining process producing high quality vegetable protein-rich food product(s).
The hypothesis to be tested in this studentship is: Protein-rich juice extracted from forage grass/clover and combined with surplus bread crusts can undergo bioconversion by mixed microbial consortia producing a safe, sustainable, novel human food ingredient from grasslands.
Objectives:
1) Optimisation of extraction, concentration and purification of grass/clover juice rich in protein and nutraceuticals.
2) Development of a biorefining process for protein-rich juice through solid-state Lactobacillus spp., Propionibacterium freundenreichii (GRAS) and Rhizopus spp fermentation, using excess bread crusts as a scaffold.
3) Characterisation of the nutritional composition, flavour profile, sensorial and technological properties of the final product and correlate factors of the biorefining process and development of these properties in order to modify the process and optimise the final product.
4) Final product modification through processing operations to develop specific technological functionalities for use in food model systems.
The development of new protein-rich ingredients involves many challenges to the food industry as the product must have a high nutritional value, no allergenicity, adequate technological properties, acceptable flavour and mouthfeel. Through co-fermentation anti-nutritional factors can be degraded, protein structures are developed, and other metabolites and flavours are produced; thus, controlling the substrate, organism and process could help develop a novel biorefining process producing high quality vegetable protein-rich food product(s).
The hypothesis to be tested in this studentship is: Protein-rich juice extracted from forage grass/clover and combined with surplus bread crusts can undergo bioconversion by mixed microbial consortia producing a safe, sustainable, novel human food ingredient from grasslands.
Objectives:
1) Optimisation of extraction, concentration and purification of grass/clover juice rich in protein and nutraceuticals.
2) Development of a biorefining process for protein-rich juice through solid-state Lactobacillus spp., Propionibacterium freundenreichii (GRAS) and Rhizopus spp fermentation, using excess bread crusts as a scaffold.
3) Characterisation of the nutritional composition, flavour profile, sensorial and technological properties of the final product and correlate factors of the biorefining process and development of these properties in order to modify the process and optimise the final product.
4) Final product modification through processing operations to develop specific technological functionalities for use in food model systems.
People |
ORCID iD |
Studentship Projects
| Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BB/T008776/1 | 30/09/2020 | 29/09/2028 | |||
| 2644513 | Studentship | BB/T008776/1 | 01/03/2022 | 28/02/2026 |