Institut für Lebensmittelwissenschaft und Biotechnologie

Browse

Recent Submissions

Now showing 1 - 20 of 91
  • Publication
    Online process state estimation for Hansenula polymorpha cultivation with 2D fluorescence spectra-based chemometric model calibrated from a theoretical model in place of offline measurements
    (2023) Babor, Majharulislam; Paquet-Durand, Olivier; Berg, Christoph; Büchs, Jochen; Hitzmann, Bernd
    The use of 2D fluorescence spectra is a powerful, instantaneous, and highly accurate method to estimate the state of bioprocesses. The conventional approach for calibrating a chemometric model from raw spectra needs a large number of offline measurements from numerous runs, which is tedious, time-consuming, and error-prone. In addition, many process variables lack direct signal responses, which forces chemometric models to make predictions based on indirect responses. In order to predict glycerol and biomass concentrations online in batch cultivation of Hansenula polymorpha, this study substituted offline measurements with simulated values. The only data from cultivations needed to generate the chemometric model were the 2D fluorescence spectra, with the presumption that they contain sufficient information to characterize the process state at a measurement point. The remainder of the evaluation was carried out with the aid of a mathematical process model that describes the theoretical interferences between process variables in the system. It is shown that the process model parameters, including microbial growth rate, the yield of biomass from glycerol, and lag time can be determined from only the spectra by employing a model-based calibration (MBC) approach. The prediction errors for glycerol and biomass concentrations were 8.6% and 5.7%, respectively. An improved model-based calibration (IMBC) approach is presented that calibrates a chemometric model for only biomass. Biomass was predicted from a 2D fluorescence spectrum in new cultivations, and glycerol concentration was estimated from the process model utilizing predicted biomass as an input. By using this method, the prediction errors for glycerol and biomass were reduced to 5.2% and 4.7%, respectively. The findings indicate that model-based calibration, which can be carried out with only 2D fluorescence spectra gathered from prior runs, is an effective method for estimating the process state online.
  • Publication
    Effect of frozen to fresh meat ratio in minced pork on its quality
    (2023) Tomasevic, Igor; Witte, Franziska; Kühling, Rike Elisabeth; Berger, Lisa M.; Gibis, Monika; Weiss, Jochen; Röser, Anja; Upmann, Matthias; Joeres, Eike; Juadjur, Andreas; Bindrich, Ute; Heinz, Volker; Terjung, Nino
    The meat industry is typically using a mixture of fresh and frozen meat batters for minced meat production. Our goal was to find the exact threshold for fresh to frozen meat ratio capable of controlling the meat temperature during processing, but without having an adverse effect on the sensory quality of minced pork. To achieve this, the percentage of frozen meat used for the minced pork production was increased from 0% (control) to 50% (maximum) in 10% increments. To keep the minced meat temperature in control and make the processing resistant to fat smearing, the addition of 30% of frozen meat to the meat batter is sufficient. The soluble protein content, instrumental cutting force, and the sensory perceived firmness, juiciness, and inner cohesion were not affected by the addition of frozen meat. However, it has contributed to a significant increase of the drip loss and the amount of non-intact cells (ANIC). With the addition of frozen meat into the minced pork, the compliance to ANIC regulation by the German regulatory authorities is technologically (practically) almost impossible.
  • Publication
    Variations in the metabolome of unaged and aged beef from black-and-white cows and heifers by 1H NMR spectroscopy
    (2023) Bischof, Greta; Januschewski, Edwin; Witte, Franziska; Terjung, Nino; Heinz, Volker; Juadjur, Andreas; Gibis, Monika
    (1) Background: The selection of raw material and the postmortem processing of beef influence its quality, such as taste. In this study, the metabolome of beef from cows and heifers is examined for differences during aging. (2) Methods: Thirty strip loins from eight heifers and seven cows (breed code: 01–SBT) were cut into ten pieces and aged for 0, 7, 14, 21 and 28 days. Samples from the left strip loins were wet-aged in vacuum, while samples from right strip loins were dry-aged at 2 °C and 75% relative humidity. The beef samples were extracted with methanol–chloroform–water, and the polar fraction was used for 1H NMR analysis. (3) Results: The PCA and OPLS-DA showed that the metabolome of cows and heifers varied. Eight metabolites revealed significant differences (p < 0.05) in the samples from cows and heifers. The aging time and aging type of beef also affected the metabolome. Twenty-eight and 12 metabolites differed significantly (p < 0.05) with aging time and aging type, respectively. (4) Conclusions: The variations between cows and heifers and aging time affect the metabolome of beef. By comparison, the influence of aging type is present but less pronounced.
  • Publication
    Effect of storage temperature on volatile marker compounds in cured loins fermented with Staphylococcus carnosus by brine injection
    (2020) Bosse, Ramona; Wirth, Melanie; Weiss, Jochen; Gibis, Monika
    In this study, the influence of low (5 °C), intermediate (15 °C) and high (25 °C) storage temperatures on the profile of volatile compounds of North European cured loins fermented with Staphylococcus carnosus strains was investigated. In this context, proteolytic activity, bacterial growth, key volatile compounds and sensory attributes were studied. In conclusion, storage temperature significantly affected the volatile marker compounds. A multiple regression indicated significant effects of seven volatile compounds (acetophenone, benzaldehyde, butanone, 3-methylbutanal, 1-octen-3-ol, nonanal and pentanone) on the overall odor (R2 = 95.9%) and overall flavor (R2 = 81.1%). The sum of the marker volatiles aldehydes, ketones and alcohol increased with rising temperatures and the highest amounts of the odor active 3-methylbutanal up to 155 and 166 ng/g meat were detected in high temperature-stored loins. Moreover, the addition of S. carnosus strain LTH 3838 showed maximum effect at 5 °C-storage temperature in comparison to the control.
  • Publication
    Barley-sorghum craft beer production with Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Torulaspora delbrueckii and Metschnikowia pulcherrima yeast strains
    (2020) Einfalt, Daniel
    The use of different yeast strains contributes to obtain insights into beer products with diverse sensory characteristics. In this study, three yeast species of different genera were selected to evaluate their fermentation performance and sensory profile for barley-sorghum beer production. Baley-sorghum wort was produced with 12.5°P and fermented with Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Torulaspora delbrueckii and Metschnikowia pulcherrima yeast strains. Differences were observed in terms of fermentation time and ability to ferment maltose. S. cerevisiae attenuated initial maltose concentration within 72 h, while M. pulcherrima and T. delbrueckii performed fermentation within 120 and 192 h, respectively. Both yeast strains simultaneously produced 11% and 23% lower ethanol concentrations, compared to S. cerevisiae with 37.9 g/L. Wort fermented with T. delbrueckii showed residual maltose concentration of 19.7 ± 4.1 g/L, resulting in significantly enhanced beer sweetness. S. cerevisiae produced significantly increased levels of higher alcohols, and obtained the highest scores for the sensory attribute body perception. Beer produced with T. delbrueckii contained significantly lower fermentative 2,3-butanediol and 2-methyl-1-butanol volatiles; this beer also showed reduced body perception. Beer conditioned with T. delbrueckii was significantly preferred over M. pulcherrima. Besides S. cerevisiae with high fermentative power, T. delbrueckii and M. pulcherrima were found to have reduced maltose fermenting abilities and provide significantly different sensory attributes to barley-sorghum beers.
  • Publication
    Evaluation of an oxygen‐dependent self‐inducible surfactin synthesis in B. subtilis by substitution of native promoter PsrfA by anaerobically active PnarG and PnasD
    (2021) Hoffmann, Mareen; Braig, Alina; Fernandez Cano Luna, Diana Stephanie; Rief, Katharina; Becker, Philipp; Treinen, Chantal; Klausmann, Peter; Morabbi Heravi, Kambiz; Henkel, Marius; Lilge, Lars; Hausmann, Rudolf
    A novel approach targeting self-inducible surfactin synthesis under oxygen-limited conditions is presented. Because both the nitrate (NarGHI) and nitrite (NasDE) reductase are highly expressed during anaerobic growth of B. subtilis, the native promoter PsrfA of the surfactin operon in strain B. subtilis JABs24 was replaced by promoters PnarG and PnasD to induce surfactin synthesis anaerobically. Shake flask cultivations with varying oxygen availabilities indicated no significant differences in native PsrfA expression. As hypothesized, activity of PnarG and PnasD increased with lower oxygen levels and surfactin was not produced by PsrfA::PnarG as well as PsrfA::PnasD mutant strains under conditions with highest oxygen availability. PnarG showed expressions similar to PsrfA at lowest oxygen availability, while maximum value of PnasD was more than 5.5-fold higher. Although the promoter exchange PsrfA::PnarG resulted in a decreased surfactin titer at lowest oxygen availability, the strain carrying PsrfA::PnasD reached a 1.4-fold increased surfactin concentration with 696 mg/L and revealed an exceptional high overall YP/X of 1.007 g/g. This value also surpassed the YP/X of the reference strain JABs24 at highest and moderate oxygen availability. Bioreactor cultivations illustrated that significant cell lysis occurred when the process of “anaerobization” was performed too fast. However, processes with a constantly low agitation and aeration rate showed promising potential for process improvement, especially by employing the strain carrying PsrfA::PnasD promoter exchange. Additionally, replacement of other native promoters by nitrite reductase promoter PnasD represents a promising tool for anaerobic-inducible bioprocesses in Bacillus.
  • Publication
    Characterization of the aroma profile of food smoke at controllable pyrolysis temperatures
    (2023) Rigling, Marina; Höckmeier, Laura; Leible, Malte; Herrmann, Kurt; Gibis, Monika; Weiss, Jochen; Zhang, Yanyan
    Smoking is used to give food its typical aroma and to obtain the desired techno-functional properties of the product. To gain a deeper knowledge of the whole process of food smoking, a controllable smoking process was developed, and the influence of wood pyrolysis temperature (150–900 °C) on the volatile compounds in the smoking chamber atmosphere was investigated. The aroma profile of smoke was decoded by headspace solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS). Subsequently, the correlations in the most important substance classes, as well as in individual target components, were investigated by the Pearson test. Phenols and lactones showed an increase over the entire applied temperature range (rT = 0.94 and rT = 0.90), whereas furans and carbonyls showed no strict temperature dependence (rT < 0.6). Investigations on single aroma compounds showed that not all compounds of one substance class showed the same behavior, e.g., guaiacol showed no significant increase over the applied pyrolysis temperature, whereas syringol and hydoxyacetone showed a plateau after 450 °C, and phenol and cyclotene increased linear over the applied temperature range. These findings will help to better understand the production of aroma-active compounds during smoke generation in order to meet consumers preferences.
  • Publication
    Novel method for the detection of adulterants in coffee and the determination of a coffee's geographical origin using near infrared spectroscopy complemented by an autoencoder
    (2023) Munyendo, Leah; Njoroge, Daniel; Zhang, Yanyan; Hitzmann, Bernd
    Coffee authenticity is a foundational aspect of quality when considering coffee's market value. This has become important given frequent adulteration and mislabelling for economic gains. Therefore, this research aimed to investigate the ability of a deep autoencoder neural network to detect adulterants in roasted coffee and to determine a coffee's geographical origin (roasted) using near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy. Arabica coffee was adulterated with robusta coffee or chicory at adulteration levels ranging from 2.5% to 30% in increments of 2.5% at light, medium and dark roast levels. First, the autoencoder was trained using pure arabica coffee before being used to detect the presence of adulterants in the samples. Furthermore, it was used to determine the geographical origin of coffee. All samples adulterated with chicory were detectable by the autoencoder at all roast levels. In the case of robusta‐adulterated samples, detection was possible at adulteration levels above 7.5% at medium and dark roasts. Additionally, it was possible to differentiate coffee samples from different geographical origins. PCA analysis of adulterated samples showed grouping based on the type and concentration of the adulterant. In conclusion, using an autoencoder neural network in conjunction with NIR spectroscopy could be a reliable technique to ensure coffee authenticity.
  • Publication
    Suitability of sodium pyruvate as decomposer of carried‐over liquid hydrogen peroxide
    (2023) Belschner, Diana; Rosenberger, Melanie; Atamer, Zeynep; Hinrichs, Jörg; Kosian, Thomas; Rauschnabel, Johannes
    The aim of the present study was to evaluate the concentration of sodium pyruvate in growth media by using the most‐probable number method to decompose carried‐over liquid hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) without negative influences on correct enumeration of Geobacillus stearothermophilus spores. An equivalent molar ratio of sodium pyruvate and H2O2 was verified to be sufficient for a complete decomposition. The results showed that by exposition of G. stearothermophilus spores in different liquid hydrogen peroxide and by carry‐over of concentrations ranging from 3.56 · 10−6 up to 1.69 · 10−4 mol, a sodium pyruvate concentration of 0.05 mol L−1 in growth media was most efficient for the recovery of spores.
  • Publication
    Solidification of concentrated pea protein–pectin mixtures as potential binder
    (2023) Moll, Pascal; Salminen, Hanna; Stadtmüller, Lucie; Schmitt, Christophe; Weiss, Jochen
    BACKGROUND: Binders in plant-based meat analogues allow different components, such as extrudate and fat particles, to stick together. Typically, binders then are solidified to transform the mass into a non-sticky, solid product. As an option for a clean- label binder possessing such properties, the solidification behavior of pea protein–pectin mixtures (250 g kg−1 , r = 2:1, pH 6) was investigated upon heating, and upon addition of calcium, transglutaminase, and laccase, or by combinations thereof. RESULTS: Mixtures of (homogenized) pea protein and apple pectin had higher elastic moduli and consistency coefficients and lower frequency dependencies upon calcium addition. This indicated that calcium physically cross-linked pectin chains that formed the continuous phase in the biopolymer matrix. The highest degree of solidification was obtained with a mixture of pea protein and sugar beet pectin upon addition of laccase that covalently cross-linked both biopolymers involved. All solidi- fied mixtures lost their stickiness. A mixture of soluble pea protein and apple pectin solidified only slightly through calcium and transglutaminase, probably due to differences in the microstructural arrangement of the biopolymers.
  • Publication
    Effects of fingerroot (Boesenbergia pandurata) oil on microflora as an antimicrobial agent and on the formation of heterocyclic amines in fried meatballs
    (2024) Soikam, Panida; Rachtanapun, Chitsiri; Suriyarak, Sarisa; Weiss, Jochen; Gibis, Monika
    This study aimed to determine the antibacterial activity of the essential oil of fingerroot (Boesenbergia pandurata) (EOF) as a natural preservative in ground meat and its effect on the formation of heterocyclic amines (HAs) in pan-fried meatballs. EOF was applied either by adding it to ground pork or marinating pork in it before grinding. In addition, the antibacterial activity of EOF was tested. Aerobic mesophilic total viable count (TVC), lactic acid bacteria (LAB), and Enterobacteriaceae bacteria were monitored. The results show that EOF exhibited strong antibacterial activity when added at concentrations of 1.0 and 2.5 wt%. Antimicrobial activity against TVC, LAB, and especially Enterobacteriaceae bacteria was observed at all EOF concentrations (0.25, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.5 wt%). A 2.5% concentration of EOF applied by marinating trimmings can extend the shelf-life of ground pork to 18 days, while 2.5% EOF applied via addition can extend the shelf-life to 15 days, compared with 3 days for the control sample. After frying the meatballs, the inhibitory effect on the formation of heterocyclic amines was only significant for MeIQx with the highest addition of EOF (2.5 wt%). Significant increases in the concentrations of all other HAs were determined by adding EOF (2.5 wt%).
  • Publication
    Stability of phenolic compounds, antioxidant activity and color parameters in colored-flesh potato chips
    (2023) Bravo, Catalina; Peña, Fabiola; Nahuelcura, Javiera; Vidal, Catalina; González, Felipe; Jiménez-Aspee, Felipe; Bustamante, Luis; Contreras, Boris; Ruiz, Antonieta
    Potato (Solanum tuberosum) chips are the most consumed snacks worldwide today. Colored potato chips prepared from potato cultivars with red and purple flesh are a novel alternative to traditional potato chips because of their higher phenolic compound content, such as anthocyanins and hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives (HCADs), which might make these chips healthier compared with traditional chips. There is little information on the stability of these compounds. In this study, the nutritional value of these chips was evaluated by determining phenolic profiles, antioxidant activity and color parameters with liquid chromatography diode array and mass spectrometry detection (HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS/MS) and spectrophotometric methods during storage for four months. Five anthocyanins and three HCADs were detected, with the latter compounds being the most abundant, with concentrations on average between the first (97.82 mg kg−1) and the last (31.44 mg kg−1) week of storage. Similar trends were observed in antioxidant activity and stability, with the CUPRAC method showing the highest response among all the methods employed. The color indices were stable throughout the storage time. Based on these results, colored-flesh potato chips are an optimal alternative for consumption because of their high retention of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity during storage, providing potential benefits to human health.
  • Publication
    Design and evaluation of a 3D‐printed, lab‐scale perfusion bioreactor for novel biotechnological applications
    (2023) Merkel, Manuel; Noll, Philipp; Lilge, Lars; Hausmann, Rudolf; Henkel, Marius
    3D‐printing increased in significance for biotechnological research as new applications like lab‐on‐a‐chip systems, cell culture devices or 3D‐printed foods were uncovered. Besides mammalian cell culture, only few of those applications focus on the cultivation of microorganisms and none of these make use of the advantages of perfusion systems. One example for applying 3D‐printing for bioreactor development is the microbial utilization of alternative substrates derived from lignocellulose, where dilute carbon concentrations and harmful substances present a major challenge. Furthermore, quickly manufactured and affordable 3D‐printed bioreactors can accelerate early development phases through parallelization. In this work, a novel perfusion bioreactor system consisting of parts manufactured by fused filament fabrication (FFF) is presented and evaluated. Hydrophilic membranes are used for cell retention to allow the application of dilute substrates. Oxygen supply is provided by membrane diffusion via hydrophobic polytetrafluoroethylene membranes. An exemplary cultivation of Corynebacterium glutamicum ATCC 13032 supports the theoretical design by achieving competitive biomass concentrations of 18.4 g L−1 after 52 h. As a proof‐of‐concept for cultivation of microorganisms in perfusion mode, the described bioreactor system has application potential for bioconversion of multi‐component substrate‐streams in a lignocellulose‐based bioeconomy, for in‐situ product removal or design considerations of future applications for tissue cultures. Furthermore, this work provides a template‐based toolbox with instructions for creating reference systems in different application scenarios or tailor‐made bioreactor systems.
  • Publication
    Toward effects of hydrophobicity on biosurfactant production by Bacillus subtilis isolates from crude-oil-exposed environments
    (2024) Hashemi, Seyedeh Zahra; Fooladi, Jamshid; Vahidinasab, Maliheh; Hubel, Philipp; Pfannstiel, Jens; Pillai, Evelina; Hrenn, Holger; Hausmann, Rudolf; Lilge, Lars
    Background: Due to their structural features, biosurfactants reveal promising physicochemical properties, making them interesting for various applications in different fields, such as the food, cosmetics, agriculture, and bioremediation sectors. In particular, the bioproduction of surfactin, one of the most potent microbially synthesized biosurfactant molecules, is of great interest. However, since the wild-type productivities are comparably low, stimulatory environmental conditions have to be identified for improved bioproduction This study aims to find a correlation between the hydrophobicity and production of the biosurfactant surfactin by B. subtilis isolates from crude-oil-contaminated soil and water. Methods: The surfactin production yield was characterized in adapted batch cultivations using high-performance thin-layer liquid chromatography (HPTLC). Defined hydrophobic environmental conditions were achieved by supplementation with hexadecane or polystyrene beads, and the effects on biosurfactant production were measured. Adaptations at the protein level were analyzed using mass spectrometry measurements. Results: The correlation between hydrophobicity and surfactin production was characterized using Bacillus subtilis strains ZH1 and P7 isolated from crude-oil-contaminated soil and water. Since these isolates show the biodegradation of crude oil and hexadecane as hydrophobic substrates, respectively, a first-time approach, using polystyrene beads, was applied to provide a hydrophobic environment. Interestingly, contrary to popular opinion, reduced biosurfactant production was determined. Using mass spectrometric approaches, the physiological effects of co-cultivation and the cellular response at the protein level were investigated, resulting in altered quantities of stress proteins and proteins involved in the carbon metabolism counter to polystyrene beads. Conclusions: Contrary to common opinion, increasing hydrophobicity does not have a stimulating effect, and even reduces the effect on the bioproduction of surfactin as the main biosurfactant using selected B. subtilis strains.
  • Publication
    Formation of key aroma compounds during 30 weeks of ripening in gouda-type cheese produced from pasteurized and raw milk
    (2024) Duensing, Philipp W.; Hinrichs, Jörg; Schieberle, Peter
    Gouda-type cheeses were produced on a pilot-scale from raw milk (RM-G) and pasteurized milk (PM-G). Sixteen key aroma compounds previously characterized by the sensomics approach were quantitated in the unripened cheeses and at five different ripening stages (4, 7, 11, 19, and 30 weeks) by means of stable isotope dilution assays. Different trends were observed in the formation of the key aroma compounds. Short-chain free fatty acids and ethyl butanoate as well as ethyl hexanoate continuously increased during ripening but to a greater extent in RM-G. Branched-chain fatty acids such as 3-methylbutanoic acid were also continuously formed and reached a 60-fold concentration after 30 weeks, in particular in PM-G. 3-Methylbutanal and butane-2,3-dione reached a maximum concentration after 7 weeks and decreased with longer ripening. Lactones were high in the unripened cheeses and increased only slightly during ripening. Recent results have shown that free amino acids were released during ripening. The aroma compounds 3-methylbutanal, 3-methyl-1-butanol, and 3-methylbutanoic acid are suggested to be formed by microbial enzymes degrading the amino acid l-leucine following the Ehrlich pathway. To gain insight into the quantitative formation of each of the three aroma compounds, the conversion of the labeled precursors (13C6)-l-leucine and (2H3)-2-keto-4-methylpentanoic acid into the isotopically labeled aroma compounds was studied. By applying the CAMOLA approach (defined mixture of labeled and unlabeled precursor), l-leucine was confirmed as the only precursor of the three aroma compounds in the cheese with the preferential formation of 3-methylbutanoic acid.
  • Publication
    Microscopic analysis of gluten network development under shear load—combining confocal laser scanning microscopy with rheometry
    (2023) Vidal, Leonhard Maria; Ewigmann, Hans; Schuster, Clemens; Alpers, Thekla; Scherf, Katharina Anne; Jekle, Mario; Becker, Thomas
    A comprehensive in‐situ analysis of the developing gluten network during kneading is still a gap in cereal science. With an in‐line microscale shear kneading and measuring setup in a conventional rheometer, a first step was taken in previous works toward fully comprehensible gluten network development evaluation. In this work, this setup was extended by an in‐situ optical analysis of the evolving gluten network. By connecting a laser scanning microscope with a conventional rheometer, the evaluation of the rheological and optical protein network evolution was possible. An image processing tool for analyzing the protein network was applied for evaluating the gluten network development in a wheat dough during the shear kneading process. This network evaluation was possible without interruption or invasive sample transfer comparing it to former approaches. The shear kneading system was able to produce a fully developed dough matrix within 125% of the reference dough development time in a classical kneader. The calculated network connectivity values from frequency testing ranged over all samples was in good agreement with traditional kneaded wheat dough just over peak consistency.
  • Publication
    Oral processing, rheology, and mechanical response: Relations in a two‐phase food model with anisotropic compounds
    (2023) Oppen, Dominic; Weiss, Jochen
    Food‐material poses a challenging matrix for objective material scientific description that matches the consumers' perception. With eyes on the emerging structured food materials from alternative protein sources, objectively describing perceived texture characteristics became a topic of interest to the food industry. This work made use of the well‐known methodologies of jaw tracking and electromyography from the field of “food oral processing" and compared outcomes with mechanical responses to the deformation of model food systems to meat alternatives. To enable transferability to meat alternative products, an anisotropic structuring ingredient for alternative products, high‐moisture texturized vegetable protein (HM‐TVP), was embedded in an isotropic hydrocolloid gel. Data of the jaw movement and muscle activities exerted during mastication were modeled in a linear mixed model and set in relation to characteristic values obtained from small‐ and large‐strain deformation. For improvement of the model fit, this work makes use of two new data‐processing strategies in the field of oral processing: (i) Muscle activity data were set in relation to true forces and (ii) measured data were standardized and subjected to dimensional reduction. Based on that, model terms showed decreased p‐values on various oral processing features. As a key outcome, it could be shown that an anisotropic structured phase induces more lateral jaw movement than isotropic samples, as was shown in meat model systems.
  • Publication
    Using a machine learning regression approach to predict the aroma partitioning in dairy matrices
    (2024) Anker, Marvin; Borsum, Christine; Zhang, Youfeng; Zhang, Yanyan; Krupitzer, Christian
    Aroma partitioning in food is a challenging area of research due to the contribution of several physical and chemical factors that affect the binding and release of aroma in food matrices. The partition coefficient measured by the Kmg value refers to the partition coefficient that describes how aroma compounds distribute themselves between matrices and a gas phase, such as between different components of a food matrix and air. This study introduces a regression approach to predict the Kmg value of aroma compounds of a wide range of physicochemical properties in dairy matrices representing products of different compositions and/or processing. The approach consists of data cleaning, grouping based on the temperature of Kmg analysis, pre-processing (log transformation and normalization), and, finally, the development and evaluation of prediction models with regression methods. We compared regression analysis with linear regression (LR) to five machine-learning-based regression algorithms: Random Forest Regressor (RFR), Gradient Boosting Regression (GBR), Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost, XGB), Support Vector Regression (SVR), and Artificial Neural Network Regression (NNR). Explainable AI (XAI) was used to calculate feature importance and therefore identify the features that mainly contribute to the prediction. The top three features that were identified are log P, specific gravity, and molecular weight. For the prediction of the Kmg in dairy matrices, R2 scores of up to 0.99 were reached. For 37.0 °C, which resembles the temperature of the mouth, RFR delivered the best results, and, at lower temperatures of 7.0 °C, typical for a household fridge, XGB performed best. The results from the models work as a proof of concept and show the applicability of a data-driven approach with machine learning to predict the Kmg value of aroma compounds in different dairy matrices.
  • Publication
    Effects of Ugali maize flour fortification with chia seeds (Salvia hispanica L.) on its physico-chemical properties and consumer acceptability
    (2024) Chemutai, Susan; Mburu, Monica; Njoroge, Daniel; Zettel, Viktoria
    The study investigated the effect of incorporating whole chia seeds (WCS) and defatted chia seed flour (DCF) into whole maize meal for ugali preparation. Both were incorporated at substitution levels of 3%, 6%, and 9% separately, and the resulting treatments subjected to laboratory analysis. In addition, ugali samples were prepared from all the resulting flour formulations and subjected to consumer acceptability assessment. Incorporation of both DCF and WCS resulted in increased water absorption capacity (ranging from 0.78 to 0.98 g/mL), swelling index (ranging from 0.15 to 3.25 mL/g), and swelling capacity (ranging from 2.46 to 5.74 g/g). WCS decreased the bulk density and oil absorption capacity. DCF, however, resulted in an increase in bulk density and oil absorption capacity. Both DCF and WCS lowered the lightness (L*) of the products. Proximate composition ranged from 4.78 to 7.46% for crude fat, 7.22% to 9.16% for crude protein, and 1.74 to 4.27% for crude fiber. The obtained results show the potential of chia seeds as a good fortificant of maize flour since it resulted in nutritionally superior products (crude ash, crude protein, crude fat, and energy value) when compared to control. The freshly prepared ugali samples were generally acceptable to the panelists up to 9% WCS and 6% DCF substitution levels.
  • Publication
    Rapid acidification and off-flavor reduction of pea protein by fermentation with lactic acid bacteria and yeasts
    (2024) Zipori, Dor; Hollmann, Jana; Rigling, Marina; Zhang, Yanyan; Weiss, Agnes; Schmidt, Herbert
    Pea protein is widely used as an alternative protein source in plant-based products. In the current study, we fermented pea protein to reduce off-flavor compounds, such as hexanal, and to produce a suitable fermentate for further processing. Laboratory fermentations using 5% (w/v) pea protein suspension were carried out using four selected lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains, investigating their growth and acidification capabilities in pea protein. Rapid acidification of pea protein was achieved with Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis strain LTH 7123. Next, this strain was co-inoculated together with either the yeasts Kluyveromyces lactis LTH 7165, Yarrowia lipolytica LTH 6056, or Kluyveromyces marxianus LTH 6039. Fermentation products of the mixed starter cultures and of the single strains were further analyzed by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry to quantify selected volatile flavor compounds. Fermentation with L. lactis LTH 7123 led to an increase in compounds associated with the “beany” off-flavors of peas, including hexanal. However, significant reduction in those compounds was achieved after fermentation with Y. lipolytica LTH 6056 with or without L. lactis LTH 7123. Thus, fermentation using co-cultures of LAB and yeasts strains could prove to be a valuable method for enhancing quality attributes of pea protein-based products.