Description

Proteins are one of the essential macronutrients in the diet that are facing a foreseeable shortage due to the strong demand that exists to cover the needs of the coming population. In order to meet this demand, as well as the quality requirements that must be met, new sources of protein need to be incorporated into the diet and processing methods need to be developed to make it easier to obtain and consume. Among the many solutions proposed for this so-called protein transition, the search for new, more sustainable protein sources and the use of technology to make the most of existing resources and use them in a more sustainable way are valued.

As part of its strategy of using technologies to improve the use of alternative sources and the possibility of recovering the value of by-products, the Centre is working on the valorisation of components of the by-product matrix generated during processing and how the use of technologies such as extrusion can help to increase their applicability. In addition, the Centre has been working since the beginning of the Area’s activity on the development of healthier foods by reformulating existing foods, substituting alternative raw materials of greater nutritional value in food formulation and applying processes that promote the increased use of less conventional ingredients and by-products.

The research line aims to increase the extractability of protein sources and other compounds of nutritional interest, naturally present in by-products generated in the transformation processes of the food industry, through the use of “green technologies” of pre-treatment such as extrusion, which allows the transformation of the components of the material to increase its subsequent applicability.

This line includes the need to include equipment that allows the characterisation and quantification of parameters that define the properties of ingredients and finished products at a higher level than conventional chemical determinations. SEM-EDS (Scanning Electron Microscope with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy) and RVA (Rapid Viscosity Analyser) equipment can contribute significantly to the characterisation of extruded proteins by providing valuable information on the structure, characterisation of particle size and morphology, composition, functional and rheological properties of the extracted proteins.