Exploring Structure-Function-Digestion Relationships to Create Novel Plant-based Health Food Products

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

A shift in consumer preferences towards natural, simple foods, is driving the expansion of plant-based ingredients. Moreover, consumers are increasingly more aware about the importance of healthy eating and global food sustainability. Cereals, tubers, legumes and some starchy fruits are important plant-based food crops in the human diet; they are a good source of macronutrients such as protein, carbohydrates and dietary fibers, as well as micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals. However, their large starch content contributes to blood sugar spikes more than other non-starchy crops when hydrothermally processed (e.g. cooked, boiled, etc.), which deters many people from consuming them. Furthermore, in some cases, these starchy foods remain some of the largest sources of food waste. There is a noticeable gap in knowledge around the complex cellular structures of these crops and how they are affected by food processing techniques, preventing their incorporation into health food products by manufacturing companies. Thus, cereals, tubers, legumes and some starchy fruits represent a massive untapped potential for creating value-added health food products. The proposed research program will use a novel approach to holistically explore the composition and structure of promising plant-based ingredients. This program will provide new insights into: (a) how plant cell structure, and in turn glycemic response, is affected by processing; (b) the food composition and microstructure that halts enzyme access/binding; (c) the starch structural features that slow down or prevent -amylase action and; (d) the effect of high shear extrusion for producing plant-based ingredients with targeted carbohydrate delivery and premium texture. We will develop a new understanding of the: 1) the naturally occurring physical barriers of the plant-based tissues' cellular components that infer resistance of starch to enzyme digestion after conventional food processing; 2) starch molecular structure-digestion relationships that result in hydrothermally treated starchy foods rich in structurally-driven slowly digestible starch; 3) molecular shear scission of starch and the formation of bio-mimicking cell structural elements through high shear extrusion for producing plant-based ingredients with targeted carbohydrate delivery; 4) ways to manufacture foods rich in structurally-driven slowly digestible starch. This mechanistic understanding will provide the foundation for science-based engineering solutions to emerging plant-based food quality issues. We will provide Canada's agri-food sector with novel processes and technologies that will enable the creation of plant-based flours that will form the basis of novel nutritious and highly palatable health food product lines that satisfy growing consumer demands. This research program will have a significant impact on HQP training, as well as the Canadian and international scientific and industrial communities.