CSIR included in project on novel processing and edible coating

The CSIR has joined an existing European Union (EU)-funded project on innovative processing methods for the production and distribution of high quality and safe foods. The CSIR was invited to participate in the project as a result of research expertise in extracting underutilised proteins from grains. Official notification of the CSIR's inclusion in the international consortium was received at the end of March.

Sonya Buchner-Rech and the CSIR team will extract and characterise proteins from grains to prepare effective edible food coatings for preservation of foods

The project, dubbed NovelQ, is an existing EU project under the umbrella of the Sixth Framework Programme and involves 32 international partners, among them Unilever (the Netherlands), the Institute of Food Research (IFR in Great Britain), and the Central Food Research Institute (KEKI in Hungary). The CSIR and INTI-Plasticos, an Argentinian organisation, were invited to join the consortium following a “top-up” call to the original project. This group of additional partners is referred to as NovelQ-TTC Nanocom and will participate in the existing NovelQ project until 2009.

NovelQ brings together acknowledged European expertise in science and technology and a substantial industry advisory platform to address lucrative innovations in novel processing and packaging. NovelQ is expected to extend and strengthen the competitive position of the EU food industry, the leading sector in Europe with a value exceeding 800 million €.

“We were asked to join the project as a result of our proven competency in extracting underutilised proteins from grains on pilot scale. We will also extract and characterise proteins from oats, millet and sorghum by-products to prepare effective edible food coatings,” explains Sonya Buchner-Rech, project leader for the CSIR team. “Prolamin proteins from these sources are not known to be allergenic, so they could be used for coating food or pharmaceutical products.”

The award of this project follows close on the heels of an international patent application being filed on the formulation for films/coatings from prolamin proteins. “Although the main focus of NovelQ will be on novel processing technologies to extend the shelf life of selected food products, the application of edible coatings is a further step in extending shelf life to improve product stability at room temperature,” adds Buchner-Rech.

Apart from protein extraction optimisation, another key focus for the CSIR team involves studying certain protein properties and the effect of the protein structure and function.

The group will begin by investigating the protein extraction from oats, millet and by-product streams from sorghum beer brewing to attain a purity of at least 90% protein content. Scale-up of protein extraction may take up to 18 months.

This project will call on the skills of various CSIR researchers, specifically those with expertise in agroprocessing, chemical technologies, enzyme technologies and analytical sciences. Colleagues from CSIR Materials Science and Manufacturing, the University of Pretoria and the University of Stellenbosch will contribute to the project. The project further strengthens partnerships with the Institute of Composite Materials and Biomaterials in Naples, Italy and the Swedish Institute for Food and Biotechnology (SIK) that have also invited the CSIR to participate in an FP 7 project on innovative packaging solutions based on cereal proteins, which is in its preparatory phase.

Buchner-Rech is starting her PhD and an MSc candidate is also expected to graduate from this project.