SBIR Phase II: Cost-effective manufacturing of a novel nutrient-dense chickpea dough platform for mass-market processed foods

SBIR第二阶段项目的更广泛影响是为热量密集和营养不良的加工食品提供了一种替代方案，这些加工食品因其价格、便利性、适口性和货架稳定性而在美国人的饮食中激增。该项目以豆类为基础，提出了一种营养密集的松脆配料平台，能够定制形状、质地和营养概况，以满足不同类别的各种松脆应用。由于它们的中性味道，这些脆脆的成分可以用不同的风味系统进行调味，为消费者最喜欢的全麦饼干、谷物、薯片、燕麦片和饼干提供了一种低卡路里、高纤维和高蛋白的替代品。为传统上不健康的消费品提供更健康的替代品，有可能有益于公众健康，预防与饮食有关的慢性疾病，如肥胖症、II型糖尿病、心血管疾病、癌症和其他相关并存疾病。该SBIR第二阶段项目专注于必要的配方和加工开发，以扩大以豆类为基础的配料平台，并克服规模化生产中的重大技术障碍。主要的创新在于一种新的方法，通过配方和下游加工将纤维和蛋白质结构化为松脆和充气的基质。该项目解决了由于批量大小和生产线配置导致的产品行为和质量的变化。与大多数生产线配置的面筋面团相比，这些成分所基于的面团在流变特性上有很大的不同。为了与商品竞争，必须评估采用不同干燥技术的各种生产线在最大化生产能力的同时最大限度地降低投入成本和满足产品质量要求的能力。该第二阶段项目的主要技术目标是：1)扩展配料平台变体，以实现特定的产品特性，以支持客户的声明、配料标签、生理影响和成本；2)评估各种生产线及其扩大配料生产的技术经济潜力；3)开发配料，以满足应对供应链中物理和环境压力所需的要求。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact of this SBIR Phase II project is in providing an alternative to the calorically dense and nutritionally poor processed foods that have proliferated in the American diet due to their price, convenience, palatability, and shelf-stability. This project advances a nutrient-dense crunchy ingredient platform based on legumes and having the ability to customize shape, texture, and nutritional profile to meet a broad variety of crunchy applications in disparate categories. Due to their neutral flavor, these crunchy ingredients can be flavored with various flavor systems, providing a low-calorie, high-fiber, and high-protein alternative to consumer favorites such as graham crackers, cereals, chips, granola, and cookies. Providing healthier alternatives to traditionally unhealthy consumer products has the potential to beneficially impact public health, preventing diet-related chronic diseases such as obesity, type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and other related co-morbidities. This SBIR Phase II project focuses on the formulation and processing development necessary to expand a legume-based ingredient platform and overcome the significant technical hurdles in scaled manufacturing. The primary innovation lies in a novel method of structuring fibers and proteins into a crunchy and aerated matrix through both formulation and downstream processing. This project addresses the variation in product behavior and quality caused by batch size and manufacturing line configuration. The dough on which these ingredients are based differs highly in its rheological properties in comparison to the gluten-based doughs for which most manufacturing lines are configured. To compete with commodities, a variety of manufacturing lines with different drying technologies must be evaluated in their ability to maximize throughput while minimizing input costs and meeting product quality requirements. The major technical objectives of this Phase II project are: 1) Expand ingredient platform variants to achieve specific product characteristics to support customer claims, ingredient labeling, physiological impact, and costs; 2) Evaluate various manufacturing lines and their technoeconomic potential to scale ingredient production; 3) Develop ingredients to meet requirements necessary to respond to physical and environmental stressors in the supply chain.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.