Page 7 - Impact Winter 2022

WANTED: The next generation of food ingredients
When it comes to building a better veggie burger, developing a more delicious plant-based beverage
or cooking up protein-rich pasta alternatives, the food industry is racing to keep up with consumer demand.
Plant proteins are soaring in popularity among those in pursuit
of options they feel are healthy, sustainable and support their lifestyles. At CFANS, the interdisciplinary Plant Protein Innovation Center (PPIC) is taking a collaborative approach to finding solutions.
The PPIC brings researchers and industry experts together to study
and produce sustainable plant protein ingredients and products that are nutritious and acceptable to the consumer in terms of texture and flavor.
Steve Severtson, PhD, understands “sticky” situations. As a professor and scientist in the Department
of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering (BBE), he leads research in industrial adhesives, focused on those partially or entirely made of materials derived from biomass (renewable organic material, like soybeans
and corn).
According to Severtson, companies implementing sustainable practices
are moving to eco-friendly packaging, but current adhesive materials tend
to interfere with processes such
as recycling and composting. His research looks at the redesign of adhesives to promote a more circular
“We’re listening to what consumers are asking for and to industry needs, and it’s all underpinned by what’s good for our environment,” said
Pam Ismail, PhD, PPIC founder/ director and Department of Food Science and Nutrition professor.
The PPIC is the first of its kind in the nation, working from breeding and genetics to upstream and downstream processing, formulation, and marketing. Its philosophy is to focus on industry challenges and opportunities while addressing sustainable food production.
The challenges are complex: how to make plant proteins behave more like animal proteins in formulations; how to minimize processing to meet consumer demands for clean labels; how to
consumption model for disposable products.
Adhesives containing renewable biomass tend to biodegrade and
are responsive to treatments such
as industrial composting. Although adhesives typically comprise only
a fraction of waste streams, their presence often interferes with recycling major waste components like paper and plastic bottles. Adhesives can also contaminate composting operations when combined with products designed for bioremediation.
Noting that major retailers and brands have made commitments to eco-friendly packaging, such as 100 percent recyclable, reusable, or industrial compostable by 2025, Severtson’s efforts are focused on technologies that will work with the
maximize
the food ingredient potential of new protein crops; and many more.
Graduate research assistant
Holly Husband started at the PPIC as an undergraduate student. Today, she focuses on improving pea protein functionality.
“My research is about making pea protein more appealing for consumers looking to incorporate plant-
based foods into their diet without compromising on sensory attributes,” said Husband. “The PPIC has been integral in making connections with the industry and figuring out how we can help meet the needs of consumers.”
existing infrastructure. He believes they can bridge the divide between an industry currently dependent almost exclusively on oil and natural gas and its future in which renewable biomass is a primary feedstock.
Some of the more exciting technologies developed in Severtson’s labs include mixed or hybrid adhesives. “This approach allows us to drop renewable biomass into existing commercial formulations often with no changes to the manufacturing process and little or no impact on product performance,” said Severtson.
MAKING THINGS STICK
WITH SUSTAINABLE SCIENCE
DREW HAUGE BS BBE, '14, WORKS WITH SEVERTSON ON HIS RESEARCH.