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

To discuss further topics, please contact us directly. 

3D food printing offers the potential to design food products personalized to the unique nutritional and health needs of individuals. Thus, one crucial aspect is the design and formulation of materials known as “food inks” for printing by using healthy ingredient options such as proteins and dietary fibers. However, one main challenge is achieving food inks with suitable material and rheological properties for successful printing. The aim of this work is to formulate protein-fiber food inks and characterize their properties for food printing. It will include investigating the effect of water solubility and water holding capacity of fiber fractions on the rheological properties of the inks.

Contact M.Sc. Esther Addo

Development and application of DMTA for the investigation of gluten-free networks

The production of high-quality gluten-free products presents a challenge, as the absence of gluten affects dough structure and, consequently, product quality. An innovative approach to producing gluten-free baked goods involves mimicking the gluten network using enzymatically cross-linked protein-arabinoxylan networks. Rice proteins and rice bran, for example, can be used for this purpose. This master’s thesis aims to develop and apply Dynamic Mechanical Thermal Analysis (DMTA) as a method for investigating gluten-free networks based on rice protein and arabinoxylans. Additionally, the mechanical properties of these networks under thermal conditions will be studied. The findings are expected to provide deeper insights into the viscoelastic behavior of gluten-free doughs.

Einfluss von enzymatisch induzierten Protein-AX-Netzwerken auf die Stärkeverkleisterung und thermodynamische Eigenschaften

In dieser Masterarbeit soll der Einfluss von enzymatisch induzierten Protein-Arabinoxylan-Netzwerken auf die Stärkeverkleisterung während thermischer Phasenübergänge, untersucht werden. Es soll erforscht werden, wie diese Netzwerke die Stärkeverkleisterung beeinflussen und welche Auswirkungen dies auf die Textur und Qualität der glutenfreien Produkte hat. Dafür sollen thermodynamische Eigenschaften glutenfreier Systeme, einschließlich des Anteils an ungefrorenem und gefrierbarem Wasser sowie der Stärke-Retrogradation untersucht werden. 

Modeling the rheological behavior of gluten-free doughs based on rice starch and rice protein using arabinoxylans for cross-linking

Models in the food industry are used, among other things, to predict product quality and optimize processes. They describe both the interactions between system components and the processes taking place. This master’s thesis aims to develop and validate a mathematical model that describes the rheological behavior of gluten-free doughs. These doughs are based on rice starch and rice protein, with their fractions enzymatically cross-linked. The objective of this work is to create a model, based on rheological data among other factors, that captures the interactions between rice starch, rice protein, arabinoxylans, and enzymes. The insights gained are intended to provide new approaches for producing high-quality gluten-free baked goods by elucidating the effects of cross-linking strategies on the structure and stability of the doughs.

 Contact Dr. Viktoria Zettel

Contact M.Sc. Jagoda Swiacka

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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Ongoing climate change requires new strategies to ensure the availability of high-quality cereal-based staple foods in Europe. One strategy is the European cultivation of new, unconventional grain cereals that are already successfully established in other continents due to their yield, robustness, and resistance to heat and drought, while emitting few greenhouse gases. Sorghum is a promising cereal for this purpose. In this context, the aim is to develop a processing strategy for drought-resistant and regionally cultivable sorghum. The thesis may include tasks in the areas of dry fractionation (milling) of different sorghum varieties, modification of the resulting fractions and their use in breads. The thesis also includes basic chemical analyses, as well as the further development or establishment of chemical analyses for characterization.

Contact M.Sc. Jana Kant

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Proteins play a crucial role in the food industry today, with both plant-based and animal proteins being widely used. A promising alternative to these are yeast proteins, which can be derived from by-products of the brewing industry. To optimally utilize these yeast proteins as ingredients in food products, thorough investigation is required. The research goal is to extensively characterize, fractionate, and functionalize the yeast proteins, enabling their versatile application in various food products. The thesis may include tasks in the areas of fractionation and functionalization followed by characterization

Contact M.Sc. Louisa Wötzel

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In the food industry, there are various applications for fruit preparations, each with distinct requirements, for which uniform standards do not yet exist. To simplify the overview of industry requirements, a market screening is to be conducted as part of a student thesis. This involves characterizing several commercially available fruit preparations, as well as those made in-house, using different rheological methods. From this dataset, uniform rheological target values for various applications will be derived.

Contact M.Sc. Silvan Festini

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• 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

Sainfoin has the potential to improve the sustainability of agriculture and food systems in multiple ways. Sainfoin can provide continuous living cover and biological fixation to enhance soil fertility and health. It can also provide ecosystem services as a resource for pollinators and wildlife in addition to nitrogen fixation. Recent literature also suggests that sainfoin could become the next pulse crop for human use.

This master thesis aims assess the potential of sainfoin as a new pulse crop through a multi-layered analysis (Agronomy, Nutrition and Techno-environmental evaluation of the extraction technologies). It is up to the candidate to decide whether this thesis remains a literature review or is complemented by expert interviews or laboratory work. The outcome should be a recommendation of next steps to develop sainfoin as a new pulse in the context of a sustainable and circular Bioeconomy (food and non-food products).

• Overview of varieties
• Agronomy
• Nutritional quality (feed, human nutrition)
• Extraction methods for functional food ingredients
• Techno-environmental evaluation of the extraction methods

Contact Prof. Dr. Mario Jekle