Project background

Large amounts of food are wasted, which is often due to short shelf-life resulting from microbial proliferation. In the project, we develop plant ingredients in minimally processed form and as a concentrated active fraction from existing plant ingredients and their less utilized side streams, among others from the pea and fava bean protein industry.

The project aims to creating knowledge about antimicrobial activity in these ingredients and side streams and how it is maximized, i.e. we will optimize the raw materials by identifying the best antimicrobial sources and pea varieties, optimize the ingredient production method by identifying active substances and optimizing the process conditions to their advantage, and test antimicrobial activity in both controlled environments and industrial practice.

The developed ingredients can be added to foods that are challenged by microbial growth, particularly of coliform bacteria, thereby extending the shelf-life and reducing food waste. In addition, replacing meat with legumes or other plant ingredients follows the official Danish dietary guidelines. The project thus contributes to the strategy for agriculture to gradually reduce meat production in Denmark and replace this with the cultivation of legumes, which will also promote biodiversity.

 

Project setup

The main purpose of the project is to identify the best ways to commercialize the observed antimicrobial effect of mentioned ingredients, thereby bringing the development level from TRL3 to TRL7. This is done by following two tracks in five work packages. In one track, acquisition of whole ingredients, such as flours, protein concentrates and side-streams, with antimicrobial activity is optimized and validated in minced meat products. In the other track, the responsible active compounds are identified and a process for their acquisition is developed, followed by validating their antimicrobial potential in several food products.

 

Relevance

The project brings innovation to the Danish agrifood sector helping the sustainability agenda in multiple ways: it provides natural means to reduce food waste by reducing spoilage in products including meat and cheese, and it increases both the agricultural area used for growing legumes and the dietary intake of the same by including these ingredients in a range of, otherwise primarily animal-based, food products. This project is anticipated to lead to a CO2e reduction of at least 215.000 tonnes from only the minced meat value chain, partly by replacing all-meat for hybrid products and partly by reducing food waste by extending shelf-life. Such savings are also expected in for example dairy and brewery product categories.