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Food Chemistry

Projects

Below please find a selection of ongoing research projects. Project descriptions for several of them are publicly available on websites which can be linked to from this page:

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  1. NaFoCo

    Trine Kastrup Dalsgaard , Martin Jensen , Anders Hauer Møller & Marianne Danielsen

    Det overordnede mål med NaFoCo er at udvide den danske position til den meget konkurrenceprægede internationale naturlige madfarve, markedsføre og fremskynde fuld udskiftning af kunstige madfarver for at imødekomme forbrugernes efterspørgsel og gavne menneskers sundhed.
    Ved brug af sorte gulerødder (BC) som modelafgrøde etablerer NaFoCo en industriel platform til hurtig udvikling af skræddersyede naturlige farver, der muliggør yderligere udskiftning af kunstige farver med naturlige løsninger i udfordrende madapplikationer. AU-FOODs vil i projektet udvikle en analytisk platform til at forstå, hvorledes anthocyaniners molekylære strukturers påvirker farve- nuance og intensitet samt stabilitet. Ydermere bliver molekylære strukturer relateres til genetik og miljøpåvirking.
    Oterra A/S er projektleder på NAFCOCO.
    Fra AU FOOD er Trine Kastrup Dalsgaard leder på projektet og Martin Jensen er arbejdspakkeleder.
    AU Flakkebjerg på genetikområdet .Description

    01/01-202031/12-2024

  2. VEGMILK: Milk and its plant based alternatives - Linking process load and protein qualities

    Lotte Bach Larsen , Nina Aagaard Poulsen , Søren Drud-Heydary Nielsen & Ida Schwartz Roland

    A diet rich in plant-based foods and with fewer animal source foods confers both improved health and environmental benefits. This has resulted in an expanding market for plant-based protein alternatives, e.g. for vegan milk alternatives. However, the nutritional quality of these plant based products vary a lot, while heavy processing may affect quality and digestibility and thus the nutritional value considerably. During processing both dairy and plant-derived proteins undergo heat induced denaturation and chemical changes and modifications. Some of these changes include molecular modifications of essential amino acids, like lysines, through complex pathways (e.g. Maillard and/or lysinoalanine pathways). This can lead to protein crosslinks and aggregation. Even though both animal and plant based proteins undergo various processing steps prior to consumption, typically, the steps plant proteins undergo are more severe due to the process of isolating/extruding, up-concentration and re-mixing with other ingredients to make the plant-based drinks.

    The goal of the VEGMILK project is to establish a method platform for specific molecular markers for process load and history of food proteins using advanced quantitative mass spectrometric methods, and perform comparative studies of the proteins in milk and its vegan alternatives. This is to ensure that these new vegan proteins or plant/animal protein mixtures support healthy diets.
    Description

    01/04-202031/03-2024

  3. DFF-green transmission project: Impact of plant-based diet on the consumption of health promoting microRNA’s

    Martin Krøyer Rasmussen , Milena Corredig & Rong Zhou

    With today’s climate changes and limited resources, the availability of high quality proteins for consumption is increasingly challenged. Plant-based alternative protein sources has been identified. However, animal based food ingredients (e.g. milk) contains exosomes encapsulating microRNA (miRNA) with health beneficial properties. Thus, minor compounds of importance for health are provided by the food and we are currently lacking knowledge about these in plant-based diets. To deliver this, the aim of this project is to map dietary plants that contains exosomes with miRNA and provide proof-of-concept by demonstrating that the exosomes are prone to processing, digestion and has biological activity. This is done by 1) documenting the content of exosomes and miRNA in dietary plants, 2) determine the stability towards food processing and human digestion and 3) deliver knowledge on the health beneficial properties of the exosomes and how to increase the health potential of plants.Description

    01/01-202101/06-2024