Serving up healthy plant-based food research with new flavour facility
Pulses, including lentils, chickpeas and beans.
Researchers from the University of Nottingham and 成人大片 have joined forces to launch a new international food flavour facility to improve the taste of sustainable, healthy, plant-based food and ingredients.
The new $2.5 million facility at the 成人大片鈥檚 Waite campus in South Australia, will expand the University of Nottingham鈥檚听International Flavour Research Centre (IFRC), and is supported听by a major investment by v2food, a global leader in plant-based alternatives to meat.
The facility will bring together听world-class scientists across flavour chemistry, food and agriculture, under the one roof,听to take on the challenge of getting more sustainable, healthy, plant-based food into people鈥檚 diet.
鈥淲e are excited to be part of this global approach to the challenge of producing food that is healthy, delicious and is part of the solution to a more sustainable approach to feeding future populations.鈥Professor Rachel Burton, Head of Department of Food Science at the 成人大片鈥檚 School of Agriculture, Food and Wine
The research team, which will include a new post-doctoral and PhD position, will use innovative technologies and flavour chemistry techniques to help food manufacturers develop new sustainable products that are tasty and consumers will enjoy. This includes alternative proteins, meat free substitutes and healthier versions of existing plant-based products.
Professor of Food Chemistry and academic lead for the International Flavour Research Centre, Ian Fisk said: 鈥淒ue to the globally interconnected nature of our food supply chain, we need to work together to identify sustainable alternatives in our diet to ensure a safe, reliable supply of high-quality nutritional foods that consumers enjoy.
鈥淪ustainable healthy diets听require a rethink of food ingredients and crops, new agricultural and food production processes and novel packaging systems and new routes to market.
鈥淯ltimately this is how we go about a step change for diets and more sustainable eating habits.鈥
Professor Rachel Burton, Head of Department of Food Science at the 成人大片鈥檚 School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, said: 鈥淭he initiative will expand the research capability at our Waite campus and enable us to work on new and interesting projects in flavour chemistry and sustainability.
鈥淲e are excited to be part of this global approach to the challenge of producing food that is healthy, delicious and is part of the solution to a more sustainable approach to feeding future populations.鈥
The new laboratories will house the latest flavour chemistry tools with a range of bespoke interfaces to track flavour development and understand the role of food ingredients in flavour perception.
One of the cutting-edge analytical tools that will be used in the research is the MS-Nose, developed in the Nottingham laboratory. The MS-Nose is听a high end analytical technique that acts like an artificial nose, allowing real-time measurement of aromas while you are eating.
Professor Fisk said: 鈥淔lavour is a combination of the aroma (smell), and the taste of a food. When you interchange food ingredients or materials such as reducing fat, sugar and salt or replacing meat proteins with plant proteins, there are a series of highly complex flavour questions that need to be answered.\
鈥淭hese include how to ensure that nutritious plant-based meat alternatives generate an equally appealing flavour during cooking, and how to ensure that when part of a complete meal, they are a viable alternative for those who regularly consume meat.
鈥淭hese are some of the challenges we will be exploring within our team.鈥
Major industry partner Nick Hazell, CEO of v2food said:听鈥We鈥檙e delighted to be partnering with globally recognised researchers with a wealth of expertise to develop our next generation of tasty, sustainable and healthy plant protein products.
鈥淥ur leadership and development team are looking forward to working closely with听the Centre to accelerate knowledge creation, new product development, and advance the quality of delicious, nutritious v2food.鈥
The听International Flavour Research Centre听is funded by v2food, the 成人大片, University of Nottingham and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.
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About the University of Nottingham
The University of Nottingham is a research-intensive university with a proud heritage. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement. Ranked 103rd out of more than 1,000 institutions globally and 18th in the UK by the听, the University鈥檚 state-of-the-art听听and inclusive and听听provision is reflected in its crowning as The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide Sports University of the Year twice in three years, most recently in 2021. We are ranked eighth for research power in the UK according to听. We have听听helping to transform lives and change the world; we are also a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally. Alongside Nottingham Trent University, we lead the听听initiative, a pioneering collaboration which brings together the combined strength and civic missions of Nottingham鈥檚 two world-class universities and.
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About v2food
v2food is an innovative Australian company committed to making delicious food that is good for you and good for the planet. Developed with over 100 years of CSIRO food and science research and with powerful collaborations within the food industry, v2food will play a pivotal role in changing the way we feed the growing global population sustainably.
Recognising that there is a need for a version 2 of the food system, v2food is developing a range of plant-based meat products that taste great for all consumers. Working with the Australian agriculture sector, v2food is part of the growth of a new $6bn+ industry in Australia and a major exporter throughout the world as part of the goal to feed 10 billion people by 2050.
For all media enquiries visit听听or contact听media@v2food.com