Quantifying techno-functional properties of ingredients from multiple crops using machine learning.

Food ingredients with a low degree of refining consist of multiple components. Therefore, it is essential to formulate food products based on techno-functional properties rather than composition. We assessed the potential of quantifying techno-functional properties of ingredient blends from multiple crops as opposed to single crops.

Mild Fractionation for More Sustainable Food Ingredients.

With the rising problems of food shortages, energy costs, and raw materials, the food industry must reduce its environmental impact. We present an overview of more resource-efficient processes to produce food ingredients, describing their environmental impact and the functional properties obtained. Extensive wet processing yields high purities but also has the highest environmental impact, mainly due to heating for protein precipitation and dehydration.

Structure analysis of multi-component pastes - The effect of water distribution on the rheological properties.

Techno-functional properties of multi-component blends and ingredients are determined by the contribution of each ingredient and the water distribution between those ingredients in the blends. However, ingredients can consist of multiple components, which should be considered to better understand the properties of ingredients and blends thereof. Recently, empirical models were used to describe the viscosity of mildly refined ingredient blends.

Functionality-driven food product formulation - An illustration on selecting sustainable ingredients building viscosity.

Currently, food industries typically favour formulation of food products using highly refined techno-functional ingredients of high purity. However, there is a growing interest in less pure techno-functional ingredients with a lower degree of refining as they deliver the same functional properties with reduced environmental impact. We propose that instead of selecting formulations based on purity, they should be selected based on their techno-functional properties.

Revisiting the dynamics of proteins during milk powder hydration using asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation (AF4).

The dynamics of β-casein and casein micelles in the reconstitution of skim milk were revisited in this study. β-casein migrates into casein micelles upon an increase in temperatures due to an increase in the hydrophobic effect and lower calcium-phosphate cluster solubility. This process can be reversed upon cooling.