Mixed Food systems

Foods are usually mixtures of different ingredients which makes them complex systems that are hard to understand on a fundamental level. Nevertheless, this research aims to better understand these complex systems. A promising approach to better understand these complex systems is to start from a simple model system and gradually increase the complexity of this system by adding additional components.

This project aims to better understand the mechanism of gel formation by proteins mixed with polysaccharides thereby using existing knowledge of the individual components as a starting point. Within the project, large deformation rheology and microstructural analysis are the main experimental techniques that will be used to study the functional properties of these mixed gels.

The focus of this project is quite flexible and can be tuned to the specific interest of the student. A potential topic is the exchangeability of well-known proteins, such as, whey protein with plant-derived proteins (e.g. pea, soy etc.) in mixed systems. The project is part of a larger research project within Top Institute Food and Nutrition (TIFN), where a large number of researchers work on interrelated topics in the area of protein gel structures and the limitations of exchangeability thereof.