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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. Barley: From feed to food

    Olga Agata Andrzejczak , Kim Hebelstrup , Lotte Bach Larsen & Ulla Kidmose

    Human consumption of barley has many beneficial effects, such as reduction of cholesterol and stabilization of blood sugar levels. Barley is not a frequent element in our diet, and has typically only been eaten marginally as a starchy product - e.g. porridge. Otherwise, barley is predominantly used for malt beer or as feed for animals. So far, barley has not been used often in bread making due to its poor baking properties. We know that the baking properties of a dough depend on the protein structure in the dough. But no one has ever mapped the entire network of proteins in dough that give these physical and baking properties. In this project, the structure of the protein network in dough is mapped in order to explain differences in the baking quality of different barley varieties compared to wheat. We use state-of-the-art methodologies within new breeding methods, protein analyzes and use special naked barley varieties to gain previously unknown knowledge of how proteins in dough form networks during breadmaking. This knowledge will contribute to the green transition, as barley has a much lower need for nitrogen input (fertilisation) than wheat, as well as promoting Nordic agriculture and ensuring new, healthier bread products, as it is well described that due to a higher fiber content than both wheat and rye, barley and oats have a very high health potential.Description

    09/01-202330/12-2025

  2. CASGUT: Caseins for gut comfort in infants

    Lotte Bach Larsen , Nina Aagaard Poulsen , Søren Drud-Heydary Nielsen , Stine Brandt Bering & Thomas Thymann

    Most infant formulas (IF) are based on processed milk proteins, consisting of bovine whey proteins added to skimmed milk powder to obtain whey/casein (CN) ratio of 60/40 to approach the ratio in human milk (HM). The project aims to clarify the potential benefits of gently-processed intact or hydrolyzed micellar casein isolate (MCI) in IFs and how they compare to HM in terms of mild gastric clotting for improved gut comfort and motility and the release of bioactive peptides for improved gut health. It is currently unknown how the widely studied rennet-induced coagulation of bovine milk in relation to cheese-making properties translates into clotting properties in the infant stomach. This is studied in the CASGUT project; by combinations of piglet studies and lab based pilot experiments in the context of the established CASGUT AU/UCPH project consortium. Description

    01/09-202231/08-2025

  3. Composition of "CleanMilk" from in vitro grown milk cells

    Lotte Bach Larsen , Nina Aagaard Poulsen , Ulrik Kræmer Sundekilde , Stig Purup & Jing Che

    The overall target of the CleanMilk initiative is to provide a scientific basis for potential future use of in vitrogrown bovine mammary cells for production of milk constituents. This will examine ifsuch systems in the long perspective can contribute to reduce climate gases and thereby contribute to fulfill Danish climate goals for 2030 and 2050.

    The project is financed by the Danish Dairy Research FoundationDescription

    01/09-202131/08-2024