CARTIF Projects
Study of the use of alternative protein sources from agro-industrial by-products.
Description
Proteins are one of the essential macronutrients in the diet that are facing a foreseeable shortage due to the strong demand that exists to cover the needs of the coming population. In order to meet this demand, as well as the quality requirements that must be met, new sources of protein need to be incorporated into the diet and processing methods need to be developed to make it easier to obtain and consume. Among the many solutions proposed for this so-called protein transition, the search for new, more sustainable protein sources and the use of technology to make the most of existing resources and use them in a more sustainable way are valued.
As part of its strategy of using technologies to improve the use of alternative sources and the possibility of recovering the value of by-products, the Centre is working on the valorisation of components of the by-product matrix generated during processing and how the use of technologies such as extrusion can help to increase their applicability. In addition, the Centre has been working since the beginning of the Area’s activity on the development of healthier foods by reformulating existing foods, substituting alternative raw materials of greater nutritional value in food formulation and applying processes that promote the increased use of less conventional ingredients and by-products.
The research line aims to increase the extractability of protein sources and other compounds of nutritional interest, naturally present in by-products generated in the transformation processes of the food industry, through the use of “green technologies” of pre-treatment such as extrusion, which allows the transformation of the components of the material to increase its subsequent applicability.
This line includes the need to include equipment that allows the characterisation and quantification of parameters that define the properties of ingredients and finished products at a higher level than conventional chemical determinations. SEM-EDS (Scanning Electron Microscope with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy) and RVA (Rapid Viscosity Analyser) equipment can contribute significantly to the characterisation of extruded proteins by providing valuable information on the structure, characterisation of particle size and morphology, composition, functional and rheological properties of the extracted proteins.
Objectives
- Acquisition and commissioning of new equipment.
- Identification and improvement of alternative protein sources for incorporation into healthier and more sustainable foods.
- Study of the application of pre-treatment processes as methods for extracting and modifying proteins and other nutrients from agri-food by-products.
- Study of the techno-functional properties of raw materials from valorisation and evaluation of their application to the development of healthy and sustainable foods.
Expected Results
- It will further deepen the knowledge of the starting material by being able to know exactly how the processes affect the molecular structure and thus how they affect the techno-functional properties to the benefit or detriment of identifying new applications for the development of new products.
- Obtaining protein sources from the valorisation of by-products creates an opportunity to meet the Sustainable Development Goals. It will be possible to identify and quantify the effectiveness of these processes and of the extracted proteins to be used as new ingredients without harming the environment.
- A beneficial impact on health, associated with digestibility and amino acid composition, is expected from the way these proteins are extracted, associated with the knowledge that will be established of the process parameters during extraction and the determination of the properties by means of the equipment that is the subject of this investment.
- The aim is to increase the added value of natural resources such as the by-products generated by the usual activity of the food industry to be used as a source of new ingredients, thus closing the production cycles and helping to minimise the impact of food waste.
R&D Line
- Research into the use of new protein sources and application of innovative technologies for modifying the techno-functional properties of ingredients and obtaining new food products.
Subvención de Apoyo a la inversión para la mejora de las capacidades científicas y tecnológicas de los Centros Tecnológicos de la Comunidad de Castilla y León (2023)
File: 2023 CCTT 09
Total Budget: 342,000€
CARTIF Grant: 171,000€
Duration: 02/10/2023 – 31/05/2024
Co-financed with ERDF funds contributing to the Policy Objective “OP1: A more competitive and smarter Europe, promoting innovative and intelligent economic transformation and regional connectivity to information and communication technologies”.
Responsible
Belén Blanco Espeso
Division of Agrifood and Processes
Networking
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