Food Quality and Innovation

Food products used as ingredients can be stripped of some undesired nutritional characteristics, or can undergo a process of biofortification in order to improve the nutritional benefits. By the combination of traditional or improved ingredients, the formulated food products can meet the nutritional demands of population. Research in new tecnologies to develop healthier dairy products, specially focused on the reduction of sodium and fat contents and theuse of prebiotics in order to enhance their beneficial health effects and to improve the sensory acceptance.

Researchers
Manuel Castillo Zambudio
Victoria Ferragut Pérez

Bibiana Juan Godoy
Jordi Saldo Periago

 


Projects:

Foods with improved nutritionally profiles for populations with specific nutritional requirements. Comunitats RIS3CAT (2015-2018)

 

 

Financed by ACCIÓ, Agència per la competitivitat de l’empresa, Generalitat de Catalunya.
Participants: Carinsa-Creaciones Aromáticas Industriales S.A. (Líder), Laboratoris Grand Fontaine, Alifarma, Dr Healthcare, Casa Mas Alimentación, Sosteca, CIRTTA-UAB y Centre Tecnològic de Nutrició i Salut.
This is a wide project with different objectives. Our participation consists in the production of reduced sodium cheeses without lactose. High sodium intake negatively affects consumer health, thus there is active interest in lowering sodium levels in dairy foods. We tested the production of cheeses without lactose reducing the levels of sodium, without modifying the sensorial characteristics and acceptability of cheeses.
Contact Person: ( Bibiana.Juan@uab.cat )

 

Evaluation of the effect of colostrum on milk and cheese quality, and its potential use to improve low-fat cheese. 2021-2025
Financed by: Universidad Nacional del Chimborazo (Ecuador)
Investigador responsable del proyecto: Davinia Sánchez Macía.
Colostrum is the initial milk secreted by mammals following parturition, the composition and physicochemical properties of which are highly dynamic and variable. The aim of this study is to evaluate the presence of colostrum in cheese milk, its technological characteristics to produce fresh and ripening cheese, and its potential use to produce low fat cheese.

EVALXARTA 2013. New functional ingredient (whey proteins pressurized) for the production of low-fat cheese with improved nutritional and sensory characteristics
Use of high hydrostatic pressure on whey proteins for using as a functional ingredient to improve low-fat cheeses. Denaturation of whey proteins by high pressure produced an ingredient with improved functional characteristics with a wide range of applications. One of them will be the production of low-fat cheeses with improved nutritional and sensorial characteristics.
Contact Person: ( Toni.Trujillo@uab.cat )


Development of gluten-free bread through formulation and technological alternatives to improve sensory characteristics, extend shelf-life and guarantee nutritional properties.

Researchers
Marta Capellas Puig


Projects:
Gluten-free bread production related with nutrition, sensory characteristics and shelf-life
Gluten-free bread production poses multiple challenges related with nutrition, sensory characteristics and shelf-life which can be addressed by formulation and processing. Legume flours have been studied as alternative protein sources and, among these, chickpea flour has shown emulsifying properties which contribute to improving bread volume. The combination of tiger-nut and chickpea flours allows the removal of emulsifier and shortening from the formulation. Chestnut flour sourdough improves gluten-free bread specific volume, and crumb texture and structure. Sourdough technology can contribute to enhancing nutritional aspects of gluten-free bread, since it allows increasing fiber content without impairing bread texture, it decreases the glycemic response and contributes to increased mineral bioavailability.
Contact person: Marta Capellas (marta.capellas@uab.cat).


Nowadays, consumers are increasingly demanding high-quality, safe and healthy food products. Nanostructured emulsions may have the potential to protect and to improve the delivery and biological activity of encapsulated active compounds commonly incorporated to food products, such as natural antimicrobials and nutraceuticals, while protecting or even enhancing their functional properties.

Researchers
Victoria Ferragut Pérez
Bibiana Juan Godoy


Projects:
 

Bioactive emulsifiers functionalized by ultra high pressure homogenization (UHPH) for the microencapsulation of vegetable oils. Application to dairy based products.

AGL2017-83331-R. Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades. Period: 2018-21
Submicron emulsions (< 1 μm) can be produced by Ultra-High Pressure Homogenization and they can be used as carriers of bioactive compounds (i.e. omega-3, CLA, etc) , which opens great expectations for new applications in the food sector, and also in the pharmaceutic and cosmetic sectors. In this project, emulsions with several types of oils (, with different oxidation propensities (sunflower and chia), and different types of protein concentrates based on milk fat globule membrane, rich in proteins and phospholipids, used as emulsifiers will be formulated. In these emulsions the effect of the emulsifier type and concentration, the level of pressure applied, and the oil concentration in the emulsion on their physicochemical characteristics and stability, will be assessed.


Contact persons: Antonio J. Trujillo (Toni.Trujillo@uab.cat) and Victoria Ferragut (Victoria.Ferragut@uab.cat).

Modification of food industry by-products and low value staple foods by biochemical, biological or physical processes in order to unleash all their potential by obtaining fractions rich in some functional ingredients (such as enhancing the ratio of soluble fibre or producing fractions rich in bioactive peptides) or using the modified ingredient in the formulation of new or improved products.

Researchers
Bibiana Juan Godoy
Jordi Saldo Periago


Projects: