The EU aims to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, with zero net greenhouse gas emissions. This transition poses significant challenges for the food industry, particularly in reducing the carbon footprint of food products. The protein transition, focussing on plant-based dairy and meat alternatives, is central to this effort. However, consumer acceptance of these alternatives remains low, largely due to sensory performance originating from the sensory quality of the protein ingredient.
This project focuses on the use of fermentation (including biopurification) of plant-based products and ingredients as a biotechnological solution to improve their sensory quality. In this fermentation step, microorganisms convert volatile components responsible for off-flavours into less potent compounds, resulting in a significant improvement in sensory perception. This approach has been successfully demonstrated by NIZO at lab scale.
Within the project, fermentation is applied to fava bean protein in an innovative way to improve its taste and overall sensory quality. To our knowledge, this approach has not yet been used during the production process of plant proteins. By using NIZO’s collection of over 4,500 microbial strains, the project aims to identify those that produce the mildest, most appealing protein ingredients.
