WP2 — Filled cellular solid model

 

Leader: Matthijs Dekker

Contact details:

Activity type: RTD
Participants short name: INRA, IFR, WUR
 

Objective:
• well-characterised, realistic, food models for plant foods able to serve as tools for integrating and harmonizing food and nutrition research on plant food products;
• mathematical models that can translate research results on the developed plant food models to other plant foods with limited additional experimental research.
 

Role of participants and methodology:
WUR (WP leader): Production of cabbage material and thermal processing. Chemical and biological characterisation of the different varieties that are candidates for the GMFs by HPLC/GC, including the investigation of the effect of thermal treatments.
Processing of the GMFs and investigation of the chemical and biological changes occurring during processing. Measuring the physical/(bio)chemical characteristics that are important for the (bio)availability of the selected phytonutrients, including in vitro digestion. Mathematical modelling (BKMs) of the chemical and biological changes in the defined characteristics of the GMFs during processing. Development of the protocol for using the mathematical models (BKMs) describing the GMFs during processing for other fruit and vegetable foods.
NRA: Production of apple and tomato material and their processing, including the investigation of the effects of thermomechanical treatments and sequencing.
Investigation of polyphenol and carotenoid chemistry and physico-chemistry, cell wall chemistry and enzymology (using various HPLCs, GCs and LC/GC-MS). Mechanical (compression, penetrometry, texture profile analysis) and physical characterisation, (histology, particle size), diffusion, micro-porosity (NMR, F-technics by confocal microscopy).
IFR: Work will be carried out in T2.3 and will include structural characterisation of the different varieties that are candidates for the GMFs by imaging FTIR and the use of AFM for micromechanical characterisation of plant cell wall material and polyphenol interaction mapping of the GMF.
 

Work breakdown:
Task T2.1: Selection of three plant food models taking into account works done in FP6 projects, especially EU-SOL, ISAFRUIT, FLORA and FLAVO. (INRA, WUR)
Task T2.2: Processing of the three plant food models to represent mechanical and thermal treatments of fruits and vegetables by industry. (INRA, WUR)
Task T2.3: Characterization of the macro- and microstructure in the fruit and vegetable GMFs before and after processing in terms of different kinetic, mechanical, chemical, and enzyme events leading to changes in the bioavailability of selected phytonutrients. (IFR)
Task T2.4: Mathematical modelling (in connection with WP1) to describe the main mechanisms of changes in product structure, phytonutrient (content and availability) and sensory properties during processing. (WUR)
 

Deliverables:
D2.1: Optimised protocol for producing standardized and well characterised tomato GMFs, consisting of: genetic variety, cultivation conditions, harvest and post-harvest conditions. M6.
D2.2: Optimised protocol for producing standardized and well characterised apple and cabbage GMFs, consisting of: genetic variety, cultivation conditions, harvest and post-harvest conditions. M12.
D2.3: Characteristics of raw and processed tomato GMFs: mechanical (compression, penetrometry) and physical (histology, particle size) characterisation; chemical composition (polyphenols, cell wall polysaccharides). M12.
D2.4: Characteristics of raw and processed apples and cabbage GMFs: mechanical (compression, penetrometry) and physical (histology, particle size) characterisation; chemical composition (polyphenols, cell wall polysaccharides). M24.
D2.5: Validated mathematical kinetic models (BKMs) with estimated parameters to describe the main mechanisms of changes in structure, phytonutrient (content and availability) and sensory properties during processing of the tomato GMFs. M30.
D2.6: Validated mathematical kinetic models (BKMs) with estimated parameters to describe the main mechanisms of changes in structure, phytonutrient (content and availability) and sensory properties during processing of the apple and cabbage GMFs. M36.
D2.7: Validated protocol for estimating the model parameters and handling of the mathematical models (IKM) in order to translate the results to fruit and vegetable foods that differ from the three developed models. M48.