Department of Plant-Based Foods

Department

What do we do?

  • We extract and functionalize plant raw materials
  • We use our understanding to structure plant ingredients
  • We increase the nutritional value of plant-based foods through innovative processing
  • We design new foods and create entirely new textural impressions

Profile

The Department of Plant-based Foods addresses a central and socially and politically highly topical challenge facing humanity: securing global nutrition. The extraction and functionalization of ingredients from plant foods is the core topic of the Department of Plant-based Foods at the University of Hohenheim.

 

After safe extraction of fractions from plant raw materials, these can be structured and functionalized via forward-looking processes in order to be processed into food. We are developing a pool of knowledge in order to specifically design high-quality, safe and clean-label foods in the future via the material selection of the plant raw materials as well as process engineering strategies. Innovative processes such as additive manufacturing (food 3D printing) are used. 

 

Our scientific approach combined with our experience in knowledge transfer to the food industry will drive the development of innovative technologies and products.

 

 Our Team

Equipment

 

The department has extensive equipment in the field of analytics, technology and process engineering of plant raw materials.

  • Analytics: In addition to the relevant standard analytical methods in the field of protein, cereals, fruits and vegetables, photometric methods including enzymatic assays, we can also qualitatively and quantitatively detect various secondary ingredients such as polyphenols by means of our extensive methods in the field of (U)HPLC with DAD, RI, ELSD, FLD and UV/VIS, GC-MS, GC-FID, anion exchange chromatography (HPAEC-PAD, HPAEC-CD) and preparative chromatography such as from mono- and polysaccharides, to amino acids and proteins. By means of FTIR and NIR we characterize and identify our raw materials, intermediates and final food products.
  • We characterize the functionalities of raw materials, intermediates and final foods by means of rheology, DSC, foam behavior, color measurements and texture analysis. Image analysis is carried out using in-process image acquisition, microscopic data of the structuring components (light microscopy and CLSM) and particle analysis. We also record the end product quality with our sensor panel.
  • Technology and process engineering: In addition to various dry (ball and centrifugal mills) and wet (e.g. cutting machines, homogenizers, colloidal and corundum disk mills, grating mills, inline turrax), intermediate products can be mixed (various kneaders), separated (straining machine, decanter, separators, packing presses, screw oil press, filter press, membrane filtration plant) and post-processed (tubular heat exchanger, rotary autoclave, ovens, spray dryer, UV chamber, pasteurizer, vacuum process equipment, vacuum drying oven, freeze drying). In addition, we can produce food with high definition by 3D printer.