Riddet Institute Research News

Algae superfood research reaches two-year milestone

Work has started on analysing a native seaweed and other microalgae with potential superfood status, in a global research project involving New Zealand and Singapore. The research project to determine the physio-chemical properties, health benefits and digestibility of the seaweed extracts began in late 2020, with the native seaweed karengo and international microalga Chlorella thought to have value as alternative protein sources. Karengo is related to nori, which is widely produced and eaten as the seaweed wrap in sushi, while Chlorella is produced and marketed internationally as a health supplement. Karengo is a traditional food of Māori. It is rich in protein, omega-3 fatty acids, dietary fibre and a range of micronutrients. The $3M global study is led by New Zealand’s Cawthron Institute, in collaboration with the Riddet Institute, the University of Auckland, Plant & Food Research, Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), the Singapore Institute of Food and Biotechnology Innovation (SIFBI) and the Bioprocessing Technology Institute. Riddet Institute Director, Distinguished Professor Harjinder Singh says the nation-wide project and collaboration with Singapore could lead to innovative new products. Workshop co-organiser and Riddet Institute project leader Arup Nag says the project planned to have a face-to-face workshop to bring together international personnel every year of the three-year project, which commenced in September 2020. But Covid-19 pandemic disruptions have meant this year’s workshop was the first. The next workshop is planned for July 2023, in Singapore, when it is expected the nutritional potential for the seaweeds will be known. Dr Nag says the research collaboration is hoping to extract the protein or carbohydrate components from the seaweeds and then use them as novel food ingredients. “There is high potential for establishing commercial algae farming by start-up ventures if this is confirmed.” The production and marketing of high-value functional foods with unique attributes would be next steps. Other goals of the research project are to foster international research relationships and to improve future food security by diversifying food production. Human clinical trials with the protein-rich extracts will now begin in Singapore and lab/animal trials in New Zealand.

Kiwi food science at the cutting-edge of global innovation

A game-changing technology developed at the Riddet Institute has won an international award recognising its impact on addressing global iron deficiency. Ferri-Pro™ technology is used in Nestlé’s new Bunyad Iron+ milk powder which won the Innovation in Research & Development – Consumer Nutrition Award at the International World Dairy Summit (organised by International Dairy Federation), held in New Delhi, India, 12-15 September. Ferri-Pro™ is a patented technology that allows iron fortification in food without adversely affecting taste and product quality. The technology, that targets iron deficiency, was developed by Massey University-based researchers at the Riddet Institute. The technology was licenced to global food giant Nestlé in 2019 which represented the single biggest commercial deal to emerge from Massey University, both in terms of commercial impact and societal benefits. Nestlé and Riddet Institute teams worked together for more than three years on the scale up, manufacture, applications and regulatory aspects of Ferri-Pro™. Riddet Institute Director, Distinguished Professor Harjinder Singh, who led the research team that developed Ferri-ProTM, says the Riddet Institute is very proud to have had a significant role in addressing one of the most important nutritional deficiencies in the world. “It has been a privilege to work alongside Nestlé and it is so fulfilling to see the success of the product we helped develop and its application in helping address iron deficiency in vulnerable populations across the globe,” he says.

The Nestlé team accept the Innovation in Research & Development Award at the International Dairy Foundation Dairy Innovation Awards. From left, Mayank Trivedi, Head of Strategic Business Unit Dairy, Nestlé; Heike Steiling, Head of Nestlé Product Technology Center Dairy, Nestlé R&D; Himanshu Gupta, Global Head of Regulatory and Scientific Affairs, Strategic Business Unit Dairy, Nestlé R&D. Riddet Institute Professor of Nutritional Sciences Warren McNabb co-authored the milk substitutes study

Earlier this month Ferri-Pro™ also won an Australasian industry award. Massey Ventures Limited was awarded “Best Licensing Deal” at the 2022 KCA Australasian Research Commercialisation Awards in Melbourne on 1 September for the sale of the technology to Nestlé.

Riddet scientists assess milk substitutes

Plant-based beverages are expensive and provide only a small fraction of the nutritional goodness of cow’s milk, according to a new study. The study, assessed the nutritional profiles of a range of plant-based beverages, such as soy, oat, coconut, almond or rice drinks, and compared them to standard bovine milk. Researchers collected 103 plant-based products from supermarkets in Palmerston North, New Zealand. The drinks were found to have much lower quantities of the 20 nutrients measured, such as calcium and protein, and were significantly more costly than cow’s milk. The study was carried out by Riddet Institute scientists, from Massey University, in Palmerston North. One of the study’s authors, Riddet Institute Professor of Nutritional Sciences, Warren McNabb, says plant-based beverages were often marketed as alternatives to ruminant milks such as cow’s milk, and consumers could easily believe they were nutritionally interchangeable. He says the new research demonstrated they were not the same and in fact it was “nutritionally risky” for consumers with high nutrient demands like pregnant women and young children to replace cow’s milk with plant-based products. “Milk as a food supplies 49% of the world’s calcium,” Prof McNabb says. “It’s one of the most important things about milk.” The independent study first surveyed the prices and nutrition labels of the products and then nutritional content was analysed in an external accredited laboratory. Selected almond, coconut, oat, rice and soy products were tested for their macronutrient and mineral content. The protein content of cow’s milk was in the range of 3.3-3.9 g per 100 g and Prof McNabb says only soy drink had a comparable content to cow’s milk, with all other plant-based beverages containing less than 1.1 g protein per 100 ml on average. Most plant products were ultra-processed and fortified with calcium and minerals with additives like sugar, fats, hydrogenated oils, hydrolysed proteins, flavours or thickeners. Oat and almond beverages contained as little as the equivalent of half a cup of oats or six almonds in 250 g of product. The plant-based beverages were often promoted as having no added sugar, but Prof McNabb says milk also does not have added sugar. “Lactose (in milk) is also poorly converted to glucose in the body which means milk is quite low in what we commonly call ‘sugar’.” He says plant-based beverages have plant equivalents to ‘sugar’ that do convert to glucose in the body. “And that is why plant-based beverages often have a natural sweetness and don’t need added sugar. But they cannot be considered low in sugar.” Prof McNabb says the argument for the alternatives being more environmentally sustainable also did not stack up when considered in the light of how much product would need to be consumed to achieve the same nutritional benefits as conventional milk: With some plantbased beverages you would need to have eighteen serves to get the same amount of protein, for example, as a single serve of milk. This comes at a much higher cost to the environment – and the wallet. But it was not all bad for the alternatives. Prof McNabb says plant-based beverages do supply some nutrients that milk does not, such as fibre. “Our final conclusion was the plant-based beverages and bovine milk were not nutritionally similar in any way. They are completely different foods. If you want to use alternatives, do so, but do not consume them with the belief that they are nutritionally similar substitutes for cow’s milk.” This was the first study to analyse the actual content of the plant-based milks available in New Zealand. The study, titled ‘Nutritional assessment of plant-based beverages in comparison to bovine milk’ was published in Frontiers in Nutrition on 8 August 2022.