Project

Cell-based materials for future food

Designing a process to obtain techno-functional ingredients from microbial biomass and define principles for their application in food products.

Sustainable diets are a crucial element in addressing ongoing climate change and achieving global health and sustainability (Mazac et al., 2023). Microbial cells grown in bioreactors can serve as an alternative ingredient source. Their cultivation requires less land than conventional crops and is possible in any geographical location (Linder, 2023; Smetana et al., 2017). However, to make use of microbial biomass as food ingredients economically feasible, we need to adopt a biorefinery approach that valorises all fractions of the microorganisms. Also, fundamental knowledge on the techno-functional properties of said fractions is essential to use these ingredients effectively in food systems.

Aim
The aim of this project is to develop a generic approach to convert microbial biomass into techno-functional food ingredients. Also, the techno-functionality of (fractionated) biomass from different organisms will be studied individually and in systems representing food products. This will enable us to define a set of principles for the application of disrupted cells as structuring ingredients in food systems.The aim of this project is to develop a generic approach to convert microbial biomass into techno-functional food ingredients. Also, the techno-functionality of (fractionated) biomass from different organisms will be studied individually and in systems representing food products. This will enable us to define a set of principles for the application of disrupted cells as structuring ingredients in food systems.

Approach
To achieve this goal, ingredients from microalgae, bacteria, yeast and filamentous fungi will be obtained using a mild wet fractionation process after cell disruption using bead milling. By precisely controlling the disruption of various microbial cells using bead milling, it will be possible to establish relationships between cell ultrastructure, its disruption and the consequent composition and techno-functional properties of the recovered material.

References

  1. Linder, T. (2023). Beyond Agriculture - How Microorganisms Can Revolutionize Global Food Production. Cite This: ACS Food Sci. Technol, 2023, 1144–1152. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsfoodscitech.3c00099
  2. Mazac, R., Järviö, N., & Tuomisto, H. L. (2023). Environmental and nutritional Life Cycle Assessment of novel foods in meals as transformative food for the future. Science of The Total Environment, 876, 162796. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2023.162796
  3. Smetana, S., Sandmann, M., Rohn, S., Pleissner, D., & Heinz, V. (2017). Autotrophic and heterotrophic microalgae and cyanobacteria cultivation for food and feed: life cycle assessment. Bioresource Technology, 245, 162–170. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2017.08.113