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

SBIR二期项目更广泛的影响是为高热量和营养不良的加工食品提供了一种替代品，这些加工食品因其价格、方便、适口和货架稳定性而在美国饮食中激增。该项目提出了一种基于豆类的营养丰富的松脆配料平台，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。由于它们的中性风味，这些脆脆的成分可以用各种风味系统调味，提供低热量、高纤维和高蛋白的替代品，以替代消费者喜欢的全麦饼干、谷物、薯片、格兰诺拉麦片和饼干。为传统上不健康的消费品提供更健康的替代品，有可能对公众健康产生有益影响，预防与饮食有关的慢性疾病，如肥胖、II型糖尿病、心血管疾病、癌症和其他相关的合并症。该SBIR第二期项目侧重于扩大豆科植物原料平台所需的配方和加工开发，并克服大规模生产中的重大技术障碍。主要的创新在于通过配方和下游加工将纤维和蛋白质结构成脆脆的充气基质的新方法。本项目处理由批量大小和生产线配置引起的产品行为和质量的变化。与大多数生产线配置的麸质面团相比，这些成分所基于的面团在流变学特性上存在很大差异。为了与商品竞争，必须评估具有不同干燥技术的各种生产线在最大限度地提高吞吐量的同时最小化投入成本并满足产品质量要求的能力。本二期项目的主要技术目标是：1)扩展成分平台变体，以实现特定的产品特性，以支持客户索赔、成分标签、生理影响和成本；2)评估各种生产线及其规模化配料生产的技术经济潜力；3)开发原料以满足必要的要求，以应对供应链中的物理和环境压力。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值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.