Theses

We offer project, bachelor and master theses. Below you find some of the actual research areas.

To discuss further topics, please contact us directly. 

Thesis: Development of food packaging from fiber-rich food side streams using 3D printing

Environmental awareness, particularly regarding packaging materials and their impact on the climate, resources, and waste generation, is growing steadily. With this in mind, sustainable packaging solutions are becoming increasingly important. One approach is to use so-called side streams from food processing. Returning these to the production cycle offers not only ecological but also economic advantages. One promising example is quinoa straw, a fiber-rich residue that offers potential for the development of new bio-based materials.

The thesis may include tasks in the field of developing and characterizing sustainable, bio-based materials for 3D printing. The focus is on processing fiber-rich side streams – such as quinoa straw – into printable materials, for example in the form of filaments or bio-inks. In addition to combining them with other plant-based components, the focus is on the targeted adaptation of material properties. The rheological properties for the printing process and the mechanical properties of the manufactured objects are of particular importance here.

Contact M.Sc. Paulina Welzenbach

Theses (B.Sc.) Cheese alternatives

More and more people are choosing to reduce their consumption of animal products, leading to a growing interest in alternative products. Cheese alternatives play a particularly important role in this context. While the traditional animal-based product consists of a protein-fat matrix, plant-based proteins often negatively affect cheese-typical properties such as meltability. For this reason, these alternatives usually have a very low protein content, if any, and must instead rely on polysaccharides as a structural component.

In your bachelor’s thesis, you will investigate one or two of the following aspects with regard to their impact on texture, rheology, and meltability:

  • Incorporation of various alternative protein sources
  • Incorporation of various starch sources
  • Effect of different protein contents
  • Effect of different carrageenan contents
  • Effect of different starch contents
  • Effect of different fat contents

Contact M.Sc. Jakob Seuring

Thesis (B.Sc. / M.Sc.) 3D printing of plant-based meat alternatives (available right away)

Various reasons such as climate change, the rapidly increasing population, and ethical considerations lead to a steadily growing demand for plant-based alternatives to animal products. Plant-based meat alternatives play a special role in this context, as their production is substantially more resource-, environmentally-, and cost-efficient compared to animal products. Usually, these meat alternatives are produced through thermomechanical extrusion processes – however, in this thesis, a new technology will be applied to the production of plant-based meat alternatives: food 3D printing. The aim of the work is to produce highly resolved structures using 3D printing and to analyze them with a focus on their texture.

***NO prior knowledge in 3D printing is required! If you are interested in working with future-oriented and innovative technologies, you are the perfect candidate!***

Contact M.Sc. Robert Fribus

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Theses (B.Sc. - in German, M.Sc. - in English) in following topic areas: Fibre-rich 3 D-printed foods from apples

  • Apple processing: production of suitable starting/base material from apples
  • Chemical characterization of apple batches serving as the raw material
  • Chemical and functional characterization of base material produced from apples on the pilot- plant scale
  • Rheological modification of the base material for 3D-printing 3D-printing trials with different types of base material from apples
  • Chemical and functional characterization of products from 3D-printing

This project is performed by the Hohenheim Department of Plant-based Foods in cooperation with the Hohenheim Bioeconomy Office (Dr. Evelyn Reinmuth) and the Kompetenzzentrum Obstbau Bodensee (KOB). The offered theses will be performed at the Hohenheim Department of Plant-based Foods.

Contact

Dr. Sybille Neidhart

Dr. Ahmed Fahmy