Periodic Reporting for period 1 - PICKFOOD (Pickering emulsions for food applications)
Reporting period: 2021-09-01 to 2023-08-31
Enormous food waste worldwide has huge environmental and cost efficiency impact. Chemical deterioration caused by e.g. oxidation of lipids, vitamins and other food constituents are causes of waste. Many foods are emulsions stabilized by surfactants. Conventional surfactants have dominated emulsion science due to their ease of use, relatively low cost and control. However, their future industrial use is under threat, because of formulation foaming problems and the need to reduce volatile organic compounds and carbon footprints. The use of so-called Pickering particles for production of physically and oxidatively stable emulsions may be a solution to these problems. The aim of the Pickering Emulsions for Food Applications - PICKFOOD project is therefore to provide a framework and novel methodologies to study and develop Pickering emulsions and to evaluate their applications in safe, healthy and functional foods in collaboration with the food industry. Achieving this goal involves a combination of soft matter physics and food colloid science deepening our physical understanding of emulsion stability and processing, preparation of food-grade Pickering particles as well as characterizing them by highly advanced methods not traditionally used in food science. Moreover, physics and food science will join forces in electrohydrodynamic processing to avoid the deterioration of thermo-sensitive compounds during encapsulation since the solvents are evaporated at low temperature. PICKFOOD assembles a multisectorial team of scientists to train young researchers, and provide them with the combination of skills from soft matter physics and food colloid science. We want to specifically provide them with technological and methodological competences to advance the field of Pickering emulsions for food production and associated characterization methods ―and help them to utilize the experience from PICKFOOD in their individual careers.
In the first reporting period, the consortium has recruited 15 PhD students. The first emphasis has been placed on training and the consortium has completed 6 joint training events that have covered aspects from soft matter physics, X-ray and neutron scattering, food safety and regulatory affairs and theory and practice of microfluidic devices as well as career development, data management, science commercialization and patenting among other things, complementing local training and training through supervised research. Much of planned training has been completed and the emphasis has moved to the research work. Three scientific work packages include formation mechanisms of stable Pickering emulsions, characterization and food safety and food applications. Scientific results are emerging including formation wide range of Pickering systems. Major attention has been placed on food applications and the studied materials include fat/wax crystals and particles, starch from potatoes, rice and maize and proteins from pea, wheat and moringa seeds as well as all essential food oils including diverse canola oils and fish oils. Several PhD students have started their secondments to other research institutes and company partners and emphasis is currently moving to this activity. The consortium has successfully completed all the planned project management deliverables such as consortium agreement and progress report and mid-term check.
Various so far synthesized systems are novel or novel in the present context and go beyond the state of the art. These include exciting new Pickering systems such as bubbles and antibubbles, fat/wax crystals and particles, Janus particles, monodisperse Pickering particles, oil-in-oil Pickering emulsions and Pickering films. What is more, significant effort has been placed on forming and controlling Pickering emulsions in a controlled way using tailored microfluidic devices and using diverse electrohydrodynamic methods and electrospraying. These efforts represent the cutting edge. Characterization has been conducted not only using various standard methods but also using methods not traditionally applied in food science, including quasi elastic neutron scattering and ultra-small-angle X-ray scattering and optical rheometry and other methods. It is too early to assess the specific wider societal implications.