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H2020Doctoral network2021–2025

PICKFOOD · Pickering emulsions for food applications

Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Duration
2021-09-01 → 2025-08-31
EU contribution
€4,190,418
Participants
12
Scheme
MSCA-ITN

Lines connect the coordinator with its partners. CORDIS does not always give exact coordinates for projects before 2014. These points are placed at city or country level.

Results in brief

Pickering emulsions for food applications

The PICKFOOD project addressed a critical knowledge gap at the interface of food science and soft condensed matter physics. The project focused on the design and understanding of Pickering emulsions for food applications, motivated by the need to reduce food waste and improve the stability of lipid-rich food products. Globally, approximately one third of all food produced is lost each year, resulting in substantial economic losses and environmental impact. A major cause is chemical deterioration, in particular lipid oxidation, which is pronounced in foods rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids such as omega-3 lipids. Due to their highly unsaturated nature, these lipids are significantly more susceptible to oxidation than saturated fats. This challenge is exacerbated in emulsified food systems, which possess large oil–water interfacial areas where oxidation is initiated. Consequently, controlling the structure and properties of the oil–water interface is essential for achieving both oxidative and physical stability. In this context, the project responded to a societal and industrial need for novel encapsulation strategies at the colloidal scale. Reducing food waste through enhanced emulsion stability directly contributes to environmental sustainability, resource efficiency and European competitiveness, in line with Horizon 2020 priorities. The overall objectives of PICKFOOD were to: (1) establish a fundamental understanding of Pickering stabilization mechanisms for new model and food-grade Pickering emulsions; (2) identify structure–function relationships in food-grade Pickering emulsions using standard and novel characterization methods; and (3) establish and validate food-grade, long-term stable Pickering emulsion materials and concepts. Objectives (1) and (2) were fully met. Objective (3) was achieved in a refined form: the project introduced several novel food-grade Pickering emulsion materials and concepts, while full regulatory validation was beyond the scope of the action. Overall, the project generated significant scientific advances and trained 15 PhD researchers within a large international network spanning 25 institutions in Europe and the Americas.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union

Project objective

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 bysurfactants. Conventional surfactants have dominated emulsion science due to their ease of use, relatively low cost andcontrol. However, their future industrial use is under threat, because of formulation foaming problems and the need to reducevolatile organic compounds and carbon footprints. The use of so-called Pickering particles for production of physically andoxidatively 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 emulsionsand to evaluate their applications in safe, healthy and functional foods in collaboration with the food industry. Achieving thisgoal involves a combination of soft matter physics and food colloid science deepening our physical understanding ofemulsion stability and processing, preparation of food-grade Pickering particles as well as characterizing them by highlyadvanced methods not traditionally used in food science. Moreover, physics and food science will join forces inelectrohydrodynamic processing to avoid the deterioration of thermo-sensitive compounds during encapsulation since thesolvents are evaporated at low temperature. PICKFOOD assembles a multisectorial team of scientists to train youngresearchers, and provide them with the combination of skills from soft matter physics and food colloid science. We want tospecifically provide them with technological and methodological competences to advance the field of Pickering emulsions forfood production and associated characterization methods ―and help them to utilize the experience from PICKFOOD in theirindividual careers.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

  • NORGES TEKNISK-NATURVITENSKAPELIGE UNIVERSITET NTNU · TrondheimCoordinatorNorway
  • AALTO KORKEAKOULUSAATIO SR · EspooFinland
  • CHALMERS TEKNISKA HOGSKOLA AB · GoteborgSweden
  • DANMARKS TEKNISKE UNIVERSITET · Kongens LyngbyDenmark
  • INSTITUTT FOR ENERGITEKNIKK STI · LillestrmNorway
  • KOBENHAVNS UNIVERSITET · KOBENHAVNDenmark
  • STAYFIT NUTRISUPPLIES COMPANY LIMITED · DAR ES SALAAMCity levelTanzania
  • THE UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM · BirminghamUnited Kingdom
  • UNILEVER INNOVATION CENTRE WAGENINGEN BV · WageningenNetherlands
  • UNIVERSITEIT VAN AMSTERDAM · AmsterdamNetherlands
  • UPPSALA UNIVERSITET · UppsalaSweden
  • WAGENINGEN UNIVERSITY · WageningenNetherlands

Links

Data: CORDIS, © European Union