Laboratory of Food Process Engineering

🥬🤔Have you ever considered the lifecycle a seed has before becoming a delicious head of lettuce? New research provides insights on the importance of 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘀-𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗱𝗿𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲! 👇 Understanding how to extend the shelf life of seeds is crucial for enhancing crop productivity and ensuring food security. Seeds are ideally stored in a glassy state to slow down deterioration and quality loss, but the conditions required to achieve this state can vary. The glassy state is obtained due to seed drying. When seeds mature, the plant floods the seed’s cells with sugars. As water leaves the seeds, these sugars form a glass. In the glassy state, molecular mobility is slowed, reducing the rate of reactions that may cause seed deterioration. Therefore, it is valuable to know under which conditions seeds reach and remain in the glassy state. The aim of this research was to investigate whether the glass transition temperature (Tg) of seeds is universally influenced by moisture content or if it varies significantly between species. This study focused on seeds from 𝘉𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘢 𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘢 (brassica), 𝘓𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘤𝘢 𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢 (lettuce), and 𝘋𝘢𝘶𝘤𝘶𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘢 (carrot) to challenge the notion of a universal Tg curve and explore species-specific differences. Julia and coworkers evaluated three analytical methods — Dynamic Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), Thermo-Mechanical Compression Test (TMCT), and Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) — to determine the most accurate for measuring Tg. DMA emerged as the most reliable method due to its clear and reproducible results. During DMA, seeds are heated at a constant rate while an oscillating force is applied. The seed’s loss and storage moduli are measured. The Tg is detected when the ratio of the loss and storage moduli peaks. DMA revealed significant differences in Tg between species when moisture content was corrected for oil content. Lettuce seeds showed a higher Tg curve compared to brassica and carrot seeds. While a universal Tg curve can serve as a general guideline, species-specific curves are more accurate for optimizing drying and storage conditions. This research provides new insights that could revolutionize seed storage and drying processes, ultimately enhancing seed longevity and crop productivity. By understanding the glass transition behavior of seeds, farmers and seed companies can optimize their practices to ensure higher quality and more resilient seeds. This study highlights the importance of considering species-specific differences in Tg for precise optimization, paving the way for more sustainable agricultural practices. Authors: Julia Veser, Jan Kodde, Steven P.C. Groot, Raoul Fix, ruud van der sman, Maarten Schutyser 🔗https://lnkd.in/eeP5_VVv #Agriculture #SeedScience #CropProduction #Sustainability #Research #FoodProcessing

🔬📰 What does being a 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿 entail? Atze Jan Van Der Goot has recently been granted the Highly Cited Researcher - 2024 award by Clarivate and the 2024 Top Cited Scholar award by Scilit! These highly prestigious recognitions are awarded to researchers that have ranked at the top of their field(s) over the years. In particular, the Highly Cited Researcher award looks for authors which have been ranked top 1% in citations of their respective field(s) and publication year over the last decade! The list is then refined with underlying information, using qualitative analysis, expert judgment and robust quality controls to create the final annual list of Highly Cited Researchers. We would like to congratulate Atze Jan and his research group on these exceptional achievements. Atze Jan is proud of the recognition these awards bring to all his current and former students, PhD candidates, postdocs, colleagues within and outside our department, and lastly the Technical Development Studio. It is inspiring to see his work as a Professor of Protein Structuring and Sustainability be recognized for pushing the boundaries of what is known in the field of sustainable food processing! Want to learn more about the awards? https://lnkd.in/eCaKjuwU https://lnkd.in/e9utEV4T #HighlyCited2024 #research #academia #foodscience #sustainability #plantprotein #proteintransition

🏆 Our colleague Tadele Maru Alemu has been nominated for the UAF-Award! Time to highlight and support one of our own 👇 Before Tadele came to the Netherlands in 2017, he was a lecturer in food technology at the Bahir Dar University. When his friends were arrested after protesting against the government, Tadele fled Ethiopia. In the Netherlands, he continued his scientific career in food technology while caring for his family, mastering Dutch, and getting involved as designer and illustrator of the Dutch children's book 'WROAH' 🦁. He pursued his second master's degree in Sustainable Food Process Engineering at Wageningen University & Research and performed his thesis in our group. Now, we are very happy that Tadele is with us as a PhD candidate researching the fractionation of plant protein using membrane technology. He is a valued member of the group, and his story is inspiring at the very least. And... he regularly shares his amazing #injera, which is a welcome change to the Dutch diet 😉. Considering all this, it is no surprise to us that he is nominated for the UAF Award which celebrates the strength and perseverance of refugee students and professionals. Since 1948, the Stichting voor Vluchteling-Studenten UAF are committed to the development of refugee students and professionals and their integration into the Dutch labor market. This year's winner of the award will be announced live on the 18th of December. To support Tadele and show our appreciation for this amazing person, we are looking for your support! So please, 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐯𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐓𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟏𝟔𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞: https://lnkd.in/ex-U6yNF #UAFaward #RefugeeStudents #FoodTechnology #Science #Integration

⚡🌱Can we 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲? Yes, we can! Isolation of proteins from oilseeds to supply functional proteins for the food industry is challenging due to the presence of anti-nutrients such as phenolic compounds. 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐢𝐧-𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 impair the solubility, functionality, and digestibility of oilseed proteins, while also negatively affecting taste and appearance. To obtain oilseed proteins of good quality and functionality, the removal of phenolic compounds is therefore crucial. Conventionally, this is accomplished by alcohol washing; however, this is resource-intensive and can be detrimental to the protein’s techno-functional properties. Therefore, gentle and more resource-efficient separation processes are of interest. In their latest publication, Kübra and colleagues investigate the removal of sinapic acid (SA) from rapeseed proteins by applying an electric field over membranes. Under the influence of an external electric field, charged compounds such as SA and the proteins, migrate towards the oppositely charged electrode. Both SA and the proteins carry a negative charge under alkaline conditions; however, the rapeseed proteins are much larger than SA. Therefore, separation can be achieved by using a membrane that allows the electromigration of SA and while retaining the proteins. They tested four different combinations wherein either 1.5 or 3.0 V was applied over an anion exchange membrane (AEM) or an ultrafiltration membrane (UFM). The most promising results were observed when 1.5 V was applied over the AEM, leading to 34.0% SA being removed with insignificant loss of protein after 240 minutes. Next, they scaled this configuration by stacking five AEMs to form five flow channels and increase the membrane surface area, leading to 90.3% SA being removed in 240 minutes. Again, no significant loss of protein was observed. The results indicate that electric field-driven separation of SA from the proteins as a result of electrostatic and electrophoretic forces is possible and can be scaled up by increasing the membrane surface area. Keen to learn more about this research? Find the open access publication here 👇: https://lnkd.in/erBBCDzg Authors: Kübra Ayan, Remko Boom, and Costas Nikiforidis #phenolics #oilseeds #purification #separation #proteins #electrophoresis #membranes #foodresearch

🧪♻️ Don't throw out your asparagus peels! Yifeng shows that their fibres can be used to 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐲 𝐞𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝟑𝐃 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬. 𝐄𝐱𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧-𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝟑𝐃 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 is an emerging technology using edible inks formulated from ingredients such as emulsion gels for food personalization. To achieve good 3D printing performance, oil-water emulsion gels with a high oil volume fraction (~70%) are typically used, raising health-related concerns. The rheological properties of emulsion-based inks are often optimized by adjusting processing steps and/or by including crosslinking agents. Although these interventions are often effective, they bring additional costs and complications to product development. Therefore, a cheap natural ingredient that enhances the printing properties while enabling a reduction of the oil-content of emulsion-based edible inks is of interest. In their most recent publication, Yifeng and colleagues set out to explore whether 𝐚𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐮𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐞 recovered from agricultural waste streams could be used for this. To this end, they produced two groups of oil-water emulsions with either a varying fibre concentration or a varying oil fraction. The rheological properties and microstructural behaviour of these emulsions were linked to 3D printing performance. They found that an increasing fibre concentration enhanced the emulsion’s rheological properties, which resulted in significantly improved 3D printing performance. Interestingly, the presence of asparagus fibre mitigates the detrimental effects of a reduced oil volume fraction on the 3D printing quality. In fact, a fibre-fortified emulsion with an 58% oil fraction showed significantly stronger rheological properties and better 3D printability than a non-fibre emulsion with 72.2% oil. This was attributed to the addition of asparagus fibres which thicken the aqueous phase and hinder the movement of the oil droplet, resulting in changes in oil droplet size and packing. Overall, this study highlights the potential of 3D printing to develop innovative health-oriented, sustainable, and personalized food manufacturing. Are you keen to learn more? Have a look at this open-access publication: https://lnkd.in/ePNR_wAS Authors: Yifeng Lu, Maarten Schutyser, Lu Zhang #wastevalorization #foodpersonalization #3Dprinting #foodresearch #asparagus #extrusion #emulsion

👏👨🔬 Join us in welcoming our two newest tenure track Assistant Professors! This year, Yizhou Ben Ma and Patrick Wilms have started their roles as tenure track scientists within our group. Yizhou started in August as Tenure Track Assistant Professor on Food Data Science, working in collaboration between our department and the Laboratory of Food Quality and Design. His skillset in the field of Data Science really developed during his PhD via his own research and in collaboration with others to develop machine vision tools for automation, data-driven models in functionality prediction, and adaptive extrusion-based 3D food printing. From November on, Patrick has transitioned from his role as postdoctoral researcher within our group to Tenure Track Assistant Professor on Electrically Driven Separation Technology. Patrick did his PhD at the University of Hohenheim on the flow behaviour of highly concentrated suspensions during extrusion processes. He has since then been a post-doc at our group, involved in several projects concerning dry separation, powder technology, 3D-food printing, and paste rheology. His experience with electrostatic separation and processing of food materials with low moisture contents will serve him well going forward in his new role! We wish them both a lot of success in their careers and we look forward to sharing more about their works in the future! Want to learn more about Yizhou and Patrick? Have a look at their profiles here: https://lnkd.in/e8w4dYf5 https://lnkd.in/e9bSfJ69 #professor #foodscience #foodengineering #research #academia #tenuretrack

🥇🎉 We’re thrilled to congratulate the head of our research group and colleague, Remko Boom, on receiving the prestigious 𝐇𝐨𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐟 𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐚𝐥! This lifetime achievement award recognizes his outstanding contributions to the field of food process engineering. It’s a testament to the innovative and impactful research conducted by our entire team. We’re proud to be part of such a talented and dedicated group. Since its establishment in 1917, the Hoogewerff Fund has aimed to stimulate and reward excellent scientific research and education in the field of chemical engineering. To this end, the Hoogewerff Golden Medal is awarded every three to five years as an appreciation of the entire life's work of the awardee. Find out more about the Hoogewerff Golden Medal here: https://lnkd.in/emZue3ut #FoodProcessEngineering #LifetimeAchievement #Hoogewerff #ChemicalEngineering

👨💼👩🔬 Our group showed up strong to one of the 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲!  Two weeks ago, PhD's and staff from our group attended the 3rd NIZO Plant Protein Functionality Conference in Apeldoorn, The Netherlands. This year's edition had over 175 attendees from 31 countries! Presentations given by industry and academic experts highlighted the current cutting-edge advancements in the knowledge of: 🌿Sustainable plant and single cell protein ingredient manufacture ⚙Process-product interactions affecting plant protein functionality 🔬Protein structure, stability, and interactions within foods 👅Sensory challenges of plant proteins, and how to solve them 🍞Fermentation as a tool to better the quality of plant proteins Our PhD's students were well represented in the program! Iris Faber presented her work on how phenolic compounds in plant proteins can modulate their functionality in gels! Koen and Ting presented their work during the Young Scientist session, and Koen was awarded the second prize for his poster and pitch (which included some clever references to the venue). Additionally, Maarten Schutyser presented how his research group is using dry fractionation to more sustainably concentrate proteins from plant-based sources. This was an excellent opportunity to learn and exchange knowledge in a field that keeps on growing. The most exciting aspect of this conference was the alignment of so many research teams towards one common goal: making alternative proteins more appealing, healthier, and sustainable to produce! We would like to thank NIZO and Elsevier for organizing such a targeted and relevant conference for all those working on the protein sources of the future! We are incredibly proud of our team’s contributions to advancing the field of alternative proteins! Want to learn more about our researchers' work? Check them out! Iris Faber, Ting Bian, Koen Wetterauw, Dan Liu, Solange Ha, Santiago Calderon Novoa, Maarten Schutyser #networking #foodscience #NIZOPlantProteinConference #plantproteins

🦷🔬Does food microstructure matter if I just chew well enough? Actually, our researchers show that 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐢𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. Understanding the interplay between microstructure and macrostructural breakdown during oral processing is crucial to enhance the nutritional value of protein-rich foods. While the interactions between food texture, oral processing behavior and gastric protein digestion have been well-investigated, little is known about how microstructure, oral structural breakdown, and 𝘪𝘯 𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘳𝘰 protein digestion interact. Therefore, this recent study by Dan and colleagues compared the 𝘪𝘯 𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘳𝘰 gastric protein digestion of whey protein gels differing in microstructure before and after 𝘪𝘯 𝘷𝘪𝘷𝘰 human mastication. In this research, heat-induced mixed WPI/κ-carrageenan gels were prepared to have four different microstructures and mechanical properties. Before mastication, coarse stranded gels showed the highest degree of protein hydrolysis. Differences in microstructure between homogeneous, protein continuous and bi-continuous gels did not result in significant differences in degree of protein hydrolysis. After mastication, oral structural breakdown caused an increase in total surface area of gel bolus particles, resulting in an increase in gastric protein digestion of all gels. However, the increase in protein hydrolysis after mastication did not correlate with the degree of structural breakdown across gels differing in microstructure. For instance, mastication of bi-continuous gels led to a larger increase in protein hydrolysis than observed for coarse stranded gels even though the degree of structural breakdown was smaller. Therefore, the authors conclude that the impact of microstructure of whey protein gels on 𝘪𝘯 𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘳𝘰 gastric protein digestion is sustained after oral structural breakdown by mastication. Although studies on commercially available foods are needed to validate this effect in a more complex context, this study provides insight into the importance of the microstructure of food on its digestion. It could especially be useful for the development of foods for specific target groups and for the improvement of novel protein foods. Are you interested in this research? Have a look at the open-access article here: https://lnkd.in/evFggeX5 Authors: Dan Liu, Anja Janssen, Paul Smeets, and Markus Stieger #foodresearch #digestion #foodengineering #mastication #microstructure #INFOGEST

❔🔬Ever wondered how we keep up with all the exciting research happening within our group? The FPE Group Day is how! Last Monday morning, all staff, PhDs, and students got together to catch up. The morning program was packed full of opportunities for everyone to hear about the projects going on inside our group. PhDs had a chance to present their work in quick five-minute pitches, followed by an interactive discussion at the poster session. There was even a live demonstration by Julia Veser of her custom-built fluidized bed dryer used to dry cabbage seeds. Master and bachelor students participated by voting for the three best pitches and posters. We would like to congratulate the winners of the poster and pitch awards! Anne Swinkels, Julia Veser, Tadele Maru Alemu, Iris Faber, Asif Aslam, Kieke de Boer This yearly event has been organized by Maarten Schutyser for over ten years to foster more connections between members of our group. Thank you, Maarten, and we look forward to the next one! #teambuilding #research #foodengineering #foodtechnology