Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV
Functional food ingredients from plant raw materials
We functionalize plant-based food ingredients in a tailor-made way
We develop functional food ingredients such as proteins and dietary fiber from a wide variety of plant raw materials including leguminous plants, oil seeds, and secondary materials from the food industry. To do this we optimize wet/dry recovery methods and processing steps in the laboratory and on a small pilot plant scale for specific raw materials and tailored to your application. The food ingredients are analyzed for their chemical composition, functional properties, molecular weight distribution, presence of endogenous enzymes and enzyme inhibitors, and other antinutritive components.
We test the food ingredients in sample products produced in our food pilot plant. Any changes to products during storage are measured in storage tests and using a trained sensory panel.
What plant-based food ingredients do you want to use?
- Plant proteins
for protein enrichment of foods and improvement of the functional properties
- Carbohydrates
for encapsulating valuable, sensitive ingredients such as omega-3 fatty acids
- Dietary fiber
for positively influencing metabolic functions such as sugar levels
- Plant oils and plant fats
to increase the fraction of unsaturated fatty acids
- Secondary plant substances
to increase the value of foods, for example the use of polyphenols with an antioxidative effect
Optimize the sensory and functional properties of your products by customization of your ingredients.
Raw materials for plant-based food ingredients
Raw materials we use include seeds of leguminous plants, cereals, pseudo-cereals, and oil seeds. Secondary materials from the food industry that have hitherto only been partially utilized such as press cake from oil mills, bran from cereal mills, and materials from the processing of fruit and vegetables also contain high-quality components that we recover as functional ingredients.
For example within the framework of the SunflowerProtein project we are developing sustainable fractionation methods in order to utilize all the material fractions that arise from the production of sunflower oil. The press cake contains, for example, high-quality proteins and secondary plant substances. Further optimization of these processes will be researched in the follow-up project SmartProSun.
We promote the sustainable use of biogenic raw materials
In order to maximize the utilization of the raw materials in a sustainable way we develop integrated processing concepts that enable the recovery of several fractions. Secondary materials that arise (extraction residues, permeates, process water) are where possible returned to the manufacturing process via cascade systems and suitable recycling concepts. This enables economically viable processes with high product yields to be realized.
The utilization of sustainable raw materials means we are making a contribution to safeguarding the world's food needs. The production of healthy and safe foods is central in all our development work.
- Within the framework of the EU research project Smart Protein we are developing production methods that utilize sustainable plant proteins.
- In the Phenoliva project, we are researching the extraction of polyphenols from olive pomace for use as natural antioxidants in food. In this way, we are striving for a circular waste management concept.
- In the BMBF-funded reserach project Acrowards, we are developing a special fractionation technology to make the entire raw material fractions of the macauba palm fruit, such as oil, fibers and proteins, sustainably usable.