Bei den diesjährigen Freisinger Tagen für pflanzliche Lebensmittelproteine, veranstaltet vom Fraunhofer-Institut für Verfahrenstechnik und Verpackung (IVV) und der Industrievereinigung für Lebensmitteltechnologie und Verpackung (IVLV), informierten die Referenten über viele neue Ansätze zur Verbesserung der Qualität und zeigten enorme Wachstumspotenziale auf.
By Alfons Strohmaier
At this year‘s "Freisinger Tage für pflanzliche Lebensmittelproteine" ("Freising Days for Plant-Based Food Proteins") conference, hosted by the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging (IVV) and the Industry Association for Food Technology and Packaging (IVLV), the conference speakers and experts provided a wealth of information on numerous new approaches for improving the processing quality of domestic leguminous crops and demonstrated their enormous growth potential. For over a decade, process engineer Dr-Ing. Peter Eisner, today‘s Deputy Director of Fraunhofer IVV, has advocated for the recognition of leguminous crops such as lupines or broad beans as the plant-based foundation for vegetarian and vegan food.
Dr Eisner has repeatedly presented impressive research results on lupines and sunflower seeds, clearly demonstrating that the pure protein from lupines is an ideal basis for food and confectionery manufacture. As a catch crop, these sturdy plants are important suppliers of nitrogen for depleted soils. Additionally, every part of the plants can be used, and they provide valuable raw materials such as lupine oil, protein isolates, and fibres. The skins can even be used for thermal energy treatment and recovery.
Nevertheless, for a long time the response from the industry remained very reserved. Yet, this has changed. Plant-based proteins as a meat substitute are all the rage at the moment, as evidenced by the global success of the company “Beyond Meat”. Consumer demand profile and public discourse have fundamentally changed. Although consumers, industry and the world of commerce are now increasingly looking for new protein ingredients with pronounced functionality and a neutral taste, many of the proteins from domestic plants continue to demonstrate significant techno-functional and sensory weaknesses, according to Dr Eisner. Despite the increasing interest, ”Long-term effects in consumer behaviour (can) only be achieved when the anticipated enjoyment meets the expectations”, explained Dr Eisner.
Verena Wiederkehr from the ProVeg Deutschland e. V. organization used a host of data to underscore the enormous growth potential on hand for business in plant-based alternatives to meat and animal-based products. New protein sources are constantly emerging such as hemp, chickpeas, common duckweed (Lemna minor), algae, fonio, okara, and more. For the conference, ProVeg Deutsch-land initiated a study on plant-based baked goods. There is a large dis-crepancy with baked goods between pure vegans and ”reducers”, aka “Flexitarians”, people seeking to simply reduce their consumption of meat and animal-based products. Ms Wiederkehr explained that, at the moment, baked goods producers are scarcely offering incentives for these consumers, and the market is not fulfilling their needs.
To ensure that those legumes from the region, which do have an optimum ecobalance, can compete with other alternative protein sources such as, above all, soy from South America.
Further sources are cultured meat, insects and micro and macro algae (seaweed), the researchers are currently working on improving the functional and sensory properties of broad beans, lupines and other plants. One of the more credible arguments at present against using lupine flour or oil in the food industry is their allergenicity. Producers are reluctant to have to add yet another allergenic substance to their packaging and eager to avoid added time-consuming allergen management measures.
There are promising approaches to this issue. Dr Michael Szardenings from Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI) in Leipzig/Germany provided info on epitope mapping. Only a few surface proteins known as “epitopes” are responsible for allergic reactions.
Dr Ute Weisz from Fraunhofer IVV reported on a current project dedi-cated to the modification of plant-based proteins for the improvement of the functional and sensory properties with the simultaneous reduction of the allergen potential. The scientists combine various thermal processes such as sterilisation/autoclaving and roasting/MW heating as well as non-thermal approaches such as enzymatic hydrolysis, fermentation, radiation, plasma treatment, centrifugation, fractionation or biochemical modification. Dr Weisz demonstrated examples of how enzymatic hydrolysis followed by fermentation yields protein ingredients with a pleasant sensory profile and low allergenic potential, all with no bitter taste. The Fraunhofer IVV team is presently searching for companies interested in implementing the process in pilot projects at industrial level.
The project “QualiFabaBean” is aimed at increasing the nutritional-physiological quality of broad beans by reducing antinutritive substances. Maike Föste from Fraunhofer IVV explained that part of the protein strategy the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) initiated in 2012 involves the development of a process for the manufacture of sensorial appealing flours and protein concentrates made from broad beans. On the issue of ”Egg Substitutes in Fine Baked Goods”, researchers are investigating the gelling properties of protein-protein and protein-hydrocolloid-combinations. Promising results include egg substitute combinations such as protein from broad beans and potatoes.
The two-day conference event brought forth a veritable flood of engaging presentations, including an overview of insects as an alternative source of nutrition, the establishment of protein acquisition on the basis of mushrooms and consumption-oriented product developments with spirulina algae. Two interesting processing projects under the umbrella
of the EU ”Protein2Food” measure (www.protein2food.eu) for the advancement of high quality food protein from seeds and legumes were reported on by Jürgen Bez and Andreas Detzel, as well as Anna Martin from Fraunhofer IVV. In one instance, different dry and water-based fractionation methods were used to extract high quality protein from lentils or lupines. In the development of innovative plant-based products with the aid of extrusion technology the aim is to develop alternatives to soy-based meat substitutes and to use extrusion with low or alternatively high levels of moisture and test all the results.
