BERRYPOM – Resource Efficiency in the Food Industry

“SUStainable FOOD production and consumption” (SUSFOOD), financed by the European Union, targets food chain optimisation with respect to sustainability and efficiency. One important aspect herewith is the reduction of food waste at all processing chain levels: in primary production, in the industry, and at the consumer level.

Sustainability in food production, which refers to waste reduction and the exploration of innovative ways to increase resource efficiency, is of increasing importance. Fruit processing is a resource-intensive operation that yields, on average, up to 70 - 80% product and 20 - 30% waste. Residues obtained after, for example, juice extraction contain valuable insoluble cell wall fragments and bioactive compounds, but are commonly recycled as animal feed, composted, or utilised for biogas production. If utilised in suitable food products, they could be made available to consumers to improve health. With BERRYPOM it is proposed to analyse the value of berry by-products (pomace), to optimise the recovery of bioactive compounds from pomace material, and to incorporate processed berry pomace in cereal-based foods to take advantage of potential nutritional benefits that originate from fibre and bioactive substances in the pomace. In the project BERRYPOM, extraction methods are evaluated to obtain products rich in phytochemicals. The influence of specific processing steps on antioxidant capacity of pomace will be analysed, and the obtained fibre extracts will be utilised in a number of different cereal-based foods and extruded products. Value can be added to berry processing when strategies and technologies are developed that make berry pomace usable as a food ingredient. Foods rich in, or foods enriched with fibre and antioxidants in the diet contribute to the health status of the consumer. One important aspect herewith is the reduction of food waste at all processing chain levels: in primary production, in the industry, and at consumer level. The Chair for Environmental Management and Accounting analyses how environmental management control systems and instruments like Material Flow Cost Accounting can be used to increase resource efficiency in food production.

Leadership

Prof. Dr. Harald Rohm

Sub-Project Leadership

Prof. Dr. Edeltraud Günther

Researchers

Nadine May

Time

5/2015 to 10/2017

Financing

Europäische Union

Cooperation

University of Huddersfield, Department of Biological Sciences
Universitat Politécnica de Valencia, Research Group of Food Microstructure and Chemistry
Lund University, Department of Chemistry
Lincoln University, Department of Wine, Food and Molecular Sciences

Publications

Rohm, H., Brennan, C., Turner, C., Günther, E., Campbell, G., Hernando, I., Struck, S. & Kontogiorgos, I., 2015. Adding Value to Fruit Processing Waste: Innovative Ways to Incorporate Fibers from Berry Pomace in Baked and Extruded Cereal-based Foods—A SUSFOOD Project. Foods, 4(4): 690-697. DOI: doi:10.3390/foods4040690