Biorefining Protein from UK Grasslands - Can We Combine Novel Protein with Surplus Bread Crusts to Sustainably Feed Healthier Food to More People?

来自英国草原的生物精炼蛋白质 - 我们能否将新型蛋白质与剩余面包皮结合起来，以可持续方式为更多人提供更健康的食物？

• 批准号: 2644513
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Aberystwyth University
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Studentship
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2022 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=studentship-2644513
• 关键词: Biorefining; Protein; UK; Grasslands; Combine

British grassland farming covers 72% (12.6 million ha) of the utilised agricultural area, supporting 9.7 and 34 million cattle and sheep respectively1. Coupled with the drive towards zero-carbon 2040, diversification away from livestock production and plant-protein imports (e.g. Soya and other pulses) to alternative on-shore grown plant-protein fit for human consumption may provide longer-term environmentally beneficial economic security for UK farmers.The opportunity for plant-protein production on an existing agricultural level exists within the UK. Approximately 70% of the UK's commercial forage grass (Loillium/Festuca spp. <10% crude protein) and clover (Trifolium spp. <20% crude protein) varieties have been bred at Aberystwyth University (AU). Previous research has demonstrated that this protein is readily extractable as a liquid stream following pressing of grass and/or clover, while the remaining fibre can be used as an animal feed showing nutritional equivalence with the original grass (lamb trials-STARS project AU, beef trials-Aarhus University2,3). Furthermore, grass contains soluble fructan (-2,1 and -2,6-fructosylpolysaccharides, 20% DM), an effective pre-biotic (AU; UK & European Patent, US patent filed). Red clover juice, also contains secondary metabolites (phytoestrogens and pinitol etc.) with known nutraceutical/functional properties. Both of these perennial crops sequester carbon, while clovers have the added advantage of nitrogen fixation, thereby reducing fertiliser inputs. A method to convert this protein-rich material into a protein-rich food ingredient and/or product is through co-fermentation processes (e.g. tempeh production). However, most of the native bacteria used are pathogenic (i.e. Klebsiella pneumoniae)4, thus the investigation of alternative co-culture with a GRAS status organism, will not only be of nutritional value, but also regulatory and marketing benefit.Vegetarian and flexitarian diets are a growing, long-term trend, with the latter achieving 9% growth per annum. Among the future needs of these discerning consumers are a strong preference for non-GM, ethically sourced plant-protein supported by traceable supply chain credentials ensuring environmental and socially responsible farm to fork manufacture. Samworth Brothers Ltd (SBL) are a leading UK sandwich provider; producing 30-50 tonnes per week of excess bread crusts from their manufacturing operations whose disposal route is as animal feed. Using plant-protein from UK grown crops to keep this bread in the human food chain is a future aspiration of Samworth Brothers. The development of new protein-rich ingredients involves many challenges to the food industry as the product must have a high nutritional value (amino acid profile and digestibility), no allergenicity, adequate technological properties (e.g. solubility, foamability etc.), acceptable flavour and mouthfeel (astringency). Through co-fermentation anti-nutritional factors can be degraded, protein structures are developed, and other metabolites (vit B12) and flavours (umami) are produced; thus, controlling the substrate, organism and process could help develop a novel biorefining process producing high quality vegetable protein-rich food product(s).The hypothesis to be tested in this studentship is: Protein-rich juice extracted from forage grass/clover and combined with surplus bread crusts can undergo bioconversion by mixed microbial consortia producing a safe, sustainable, novel human food ingredient from grasslands (fig1).The objectives of this studentship are: 1) Optimisation of extraction, concentration and purification of grass/clover juice rich in protein and nutraceuticals (fructans, phytoeostrogens and pinitol).2) Development of a biorefining process for protein-rich juice through solid-state Lactobacillus spp., Propionibacterium freundenreichii (GRAS) and Rhizopus spp fermentation, using excess bread crusts as a scaffold (laboratory and pilot plant s

英国草原农业占农业利用面积的 72%（1260 万公顷），分别养育着 9.7 头牛和 3400 万头羊1。结合2040年零碳目标的努力，从畜牧生产和植物蛋白进口（例如大豆和其他豆类）转向适合人类消费的陆上种植植物蛋白替代品的多样化可能会为人类提供长期的、有利于环境的经济安全。英国农民。英国境内存在在现有农业水平上生产植物蛋白的机会。英国大约 70% 的商业饲草（Loillium/Festuca spp. <10% 粗蛋白）和三叶草（Trifolium spp. <20% 粗蛋白）品种都是在阿伯里斯特威斯大学 (AU) 培育的。先前的研究表明，这种蛋白质在压榨草和/或三叶草后很容易以液流形式提取，而剩余的纤维可用作动物饲料，显示出与原始草的营养相当（羔羊试验-STARS 项目 AU、牛肉试验-奥胡斯大学2,3)。此外，草含有可溶性果聚糖（-2,1 和 -2,6-果糖基多糖，20% DM），一种有效的益生元（澳大利亚；英国和欧洲专利，美国专利申请）。红三叶草汁还含有具有已知营养/功能特性的次生代谢物（植物雌激素和松醇等）。这两种多年生作物都能固碳，而三叶草具有固氮的额外优势，从而减少化肥投入。将这种富含蛋白质的材料转化为富含蛋白质的食品成分和/或产品的方法是通过共发酵过程（例如豆豉生产）。然而，大多数使用的天然细菌都是致病性的（即肺炎克雷伯菌）4，因此与 GRAS 状态微生物的替代共培养研究不仅具有营养价值，而且具有监管和营销效益。 素食和弹性素食饮食是一个不断增长的长期趋势，后者实现了每年 9% 的增长。这些挑剔的消费者未来的需求之一是对非转基因、道德来源的植物蛋白的强烈偏好，并由可追溯的供应链凭证支持，确保对环境和社会负责的从农场到餐桌的生产。 Samworth Brothers Ltd (SBL) 是英国领先的三明治供应商；他们的制造工厂每周生产 30-50 吨多余的面包皮，其处置途径是作为动物饲料。使用来自英国种植的农作物的植物蛋白来将这种面包保留在人类食物链中是萨姆沃斯兄弟未来的愿望。新的富含蛋白质的原料的开发给食品工业带来了许多挑战，因为产品必须具有高营养价值（氨基酸谱和消化率）、无过敏性、足够的技术特性（例如溶解度、起泡性等）、可接受的风味和口感（涩味）。通过共发酵，可以降解抗营养因子，开发蛋白质结构，并产生其他代谢物（维生素 B12）和风味（鲜味）；因此，控制底物、有机体和过程可以帮助开发一种新颖的生物精炼工艺，生产高质量的富含植物蛋白的食品。本学生实验要测试的假设是：从饲草/三叶草中提取的富含蛋白质的汁液和与剩余的面包皮相结合，可以通过混合微生物群进行生物转化，从草原中生产出安全、可持续、新颖的人类食品成分（图1）。该学生的目标是：1）优化草/三叶草的提取、浓缩和纯化富含蛋白质和营养保健品（果聚糖、植物雌激素和松醇）的果汁。2) 通过固态乳杆菌属、弗氏丙酸杆菌 (GRAS) 和根霉属发酵，开发富含蛋白质果汁的生物精炼工艺，使用多余的面包皮作为原料脚手架（实验室和中试装置