DFI-AF18006A Strategies for high quality of novel healthy foods (BO-62-102-002, BO-46-003-013)

In a previous PP-project “Healthy Composition” a start was made to bridge these knowledge gaps. The project ended in 2017 and addressed the reduction of salt, fat, and sugar, and increase of healthy components like proteins and fibres in various foods like biscuits, bread, chocolate, meat analogues, ice cream, and cheese. The project was very successful and lead to solutions for most of the studied food systems. However, issues remained that need more generic insights and follow up. This includes i) the functionality of stevia-derived glycosides ii) the role of ingredient composition, process and storage in complex hydrophilic matrices to control snack crispness, iii) the role of the dairy-based complexes as fat mimetic in complex hydrophobic matrices like chocolate, iv) the role of molecular interactions and processing on bakery product quality, and v) consumer perception of, acceptance of, and transition to choosing, novel healthy food products that have their ingredients adapted or changed by the above-mentioned processes. The first two topics are addressed in PPP DFI-AF-18006B  ‘How Low Can You Go’ in collaboration with two industrial partners. This project ‘Strategies for high quality of novel healthy foods’ concerns the other topics. All five topics are closely related and interlinked and built on the knowledge gained in the previous project “Healthy composition” with a common goal to achieve breakthrough innovations in

1) understanding the functional role of ingredients and their interactions in the complex food matrix during processing,

2) understanding consumer acceptance of novel (healthy) food products, and

3) the development of rules that link ingredient properties and composition to the mechanical and sensory properties of foods. New sensory methods will be investigated, like the authenticity test to get insights in the optimal way to instruct the consumers so they prove to be more sensitive, whether the technique is appropriate to use for high-involvement or familiar (and liked) food products or also for unfamiliar or new food products and whether there are consumer segments for whom this method works.

Furthermore, generic relations between the properties of ingredients, process, and product, measured using various state of the art experimental techniques and using physical, chemical and statistical multiscale modelling techniques, will be developed. This will give important scientific insights in the behaviour and interaction of ingredients in complex matrices as well as in the behaviour of consumers towards these products.