‘Meating’expectations for plant-based proteins

Burger Patty Image: Motif FoodWorks

PROCESSING

‘Meating’

expectations for plant-based proteins

Researchers from the University of Queensland are teaming up with US-based Motif FoodWorks to design plant-based proteins that are tastier and more nutritious.

As part of a three-year Australian Research Council project, the university’s engineers and food scientists will work with the US-based food technology company to design and develop plant-based proteins that meet the taste and texture desired by consumers.

There are plenty of people who like eating meat but are also increasingly interested in plant-based meat alternatives for environmental or sustainability reasons. These consumers want the plant-based protein to have the same characteristics as a normal meat experience.

Professor Jason Stokes from UQ’s School of Chemical Engineering said attributes like taste, texture and smell combined are primary drivers for consumers when considering a meat-free option.

“It’s not just the taste, it has to be the texture as well, so the team wanted to understand the mechanics that occur during eating and simulate them in a laboratory,” Professor Stokes said.

Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation’s (QAAFI) Associate Professor Heather Smyth said innovations around texture mechanics were the key to creating the best plant-based eating experience.

Dr Smyth will research different ways of pre-treating plant protein in a way that makes it behave more meat-like in the first place, rather than just compensating burger formulations with various synthetic additives.

“This might include fermenting them, extracting them differently or structurally modifying the plant-protein,” she said.

“Making the plant protein behave differently as an ingredient is really the space where we can have those breakthroughs, and already we’re seeing some interesting results.”

Getting plant-based proteins to have similar qualities to those of meat is an important step in making them attractive, as consumers have specific properties in mind that they want to experience when they bite into a burger or cut into a steak.

“Through this work with the UQ team we’re bringing together the physics and sensory aspects of eating,” said Dr Stefan Baier, Head of Food Science at Motif FoodWorks.

“This project will unlock the secrets of food to help us design plant-based options that live up to the taste and texture expectations of consumers.”

Professor Stokes said: “We really have been leading this area of research for some time and that’s why companies like Motif and others have come to us in Australia, even though we’re a long way away from where they do their work.

“The landscape’s changed and people now recognise the challenges in food research, and they’re large challenges in terms of how we perceive food and how we understand food, and rationally design and engineer their microstructure.”

Image: Megan Pope

Air knife

Compact Super Air Knives produce a laminar sheet of airflow to blow off, dry or cool surfaces up to 108″ (2743 mm) wide. The energy-efficient design minimises compressed air use by entraining 40 parts room air to one part compressed air used. They are designed to blow corrosive chemicals off parts, dry food products and cool hot materials such as molten glass, castings and moulded parts. Super Air Knives provide a uniform, high-volume, high-velocity curtain of air that is adjustable, from a gentle blowing force to a hard-hitting blast of air. The compact profile measures 45 mm (1.75″) x 37 mm (1.44″) with compressed air inlets located on each end and the bottom to permit easy mounting in tight spaces. Super Air Knives are very quiet at 69 dBA for most applications, maintenance-free and have no moving parts to wear out. They are CE compliant and meet OSHA dead-ended pressure and noise requirements.

EXAIR Super Air Knives are offered in many lengths from 3″ (76 mm) up to 108″ (2743 mm) in a variety of materials that include aluminium, Type 303 Stainless Steel, Type 316 Stainless Steel and PVDF plastic. A factory-installed plumbing kit makes it easy to connect longer lengths of Super Air Knives to any plant compressed air system and obtain the best performance.

Compressed Air Australia Pty Ltd

www.caasafety.com.au

Mini embedded mezzanine board

Metromatics presents Alta Data Technologies’ mini embedded mezzanine board, the MEZE1553, which has been designed to be suitable for networks operating within the MIL-STD-1553 standard. It provides 1–2 dualredundant 1553A/B/C channels, has an Ethernet backplane interface, uses a 3.6 x 5.6 cm PCB and comes in dual (BC/BM or mRT/BM) or full function (BC mRT/BM) models.

The product can be integrated into hardware using most operating systems as it uses the Berkeley socket layer. A design reference card is offered, as are its complete schematics. STEP 3D files and break-out cables for bench testing are also provided. Signal capture capability, 1553 cable issues and cybersecurity are included as well.

The product is an FPGA hardware-based UDP thin server that can provide a real-time 1553-Ethernet connection, reducing malicious agents such as hackers or viruses. It features a fast autoboot system and data structures are controllable through standard socket communications.

Metromatics Pty Ltd

www.metromatics.com.au

Atomiser nozzle tips

With flow rates from 0.08 L/min @ 3 bar, the RW Hollow Cone Hydraulic Atomiser Nozzle Tips from PNR are designed to provide a finely atomised hollow cone spray at very low pressure for fast evaporation.

Italian designed and manufactured, each nozzle contains a removable precisely machined insert with narrow passages for easy cleaning. Clogging can be avoided by adding an individual filter or placing a fine mesh strainer onto the spray bar.

The nozzle tips are available in brass and AISI 303 or 316L stainless steel. As a result, they are robust and resistant to chemical damage. This also makes them suitable for applications such as dust or odour control, humidification and spraying liquid deodorant or disinfectant.

To attach the atomising tips to a spray bar, simply weld the appropriate welding nipple into place and secure with a locking cap. This eliminates the risk of damaging the thread when removing the tips for cleaning.

Tecpro Australia

www.tecpro.com.au