The first edition of the Biomas Program, which financed research aimed at transforming native species from the Amazon and Cerrado into ingredients for the market plant based, has been completed! The program was coordinated by The Good Food Institute Brazil with financial support from the Climate and Land Use Alliance Foundation (CLUA). As the goal is for the research results to be transformed into business opportunities, GFI Brazil held a Pitch Day to present the project results to interested companies and stakeholders.
We now make available the videos and portfolios we produced for the projects, as well as their summaries and the full Pitch Day. If you or your institution are interested in any research and would like to support and invest in the continuity of the project, please contact our team by email science@gfi.org.
Full Baru: new ingredients for the market plant based / Dr. Mariana Egea – IFGoiano
Full Baru was born from the idea of take full advantage of the by-products of the baru processing chain, with the purpose of increase added value of raw materials and bring non-seasonal possibilities to fruit processors. A protein hydrolysate, a modified fibrous ingredient and a microbial red pigment were developed from baru by-products.
The technology developed for the production of protein hydrolysate requires low temperature and pH control. The final dry ingredient presented high protein content, high water and oil absorption, And emulsion and foam formation, demonstrating the ability to be applied in meat-based products even at low concentrations. This ingredient can replace pea protein, which is import dependent, and soy protein, which is an allergenic ingredient.
A hydrolyzed fiber was produced from a raw material that was originally going to be discarded. It demonstrated a important dietary fiber profile, ability to form and stabilize emulsion e high thermal stability.
Finally, the red microbial pigment The pigment we have developed could be a breakthrough in the dye industry, since Red 40 can be toxic and carmine red has application limitations due to its low thermal stability. We have produced a pigment under controlled and adjusted conditions, with a variable color spectrum from yellow to orange (depending on the growing conditions) that is stable at pH 4 to 8 and at high temperatures and that has potential as an ingredient antirust.
MacaúbaINfoods: the viable, sustainable and national solution for new products plant based / Dr. Acácio Antonio Ferreira Zielinsk – Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC)
The MacaúbaINfoods project evaluated the potential use of cakes (residues from oil extraction) resulting from the processing of macaúba pulp and almonds in the development of ingredients and products plant based. macaúba presents industrial interest for your high oil productivity and its potential use as biodiesel, in addition to pharmaceutical applications. The cultivation of this species has been encouraged mainly in the state of Minas Gerais, where palm trees are planted in intercropped systems with crops, aiming to improve the income of producers and act in carbon sequestration and soil regeneration.
With the results, a process was proposed aiming at the total use of macaúba by-products through sequential and integrated extractions using high-pressure fluids, which can be considered sustainable and environmentally friendly due to the shorter process time and solvent consumption. Through this approach, it was obtained 4 ingredients from the pulp pie (fatty acids, natural dye with bioactivity, polysaccharides and fibers) and 4 ingredients from almond pie (fatty acids, natural dye with bioactivity, protein and fibers). These ingredients presented high potential for application in products plant based, especially in a nugget analogue.
A main advantage of the process proposed is in the stage of recovery of protein fraction from macauba almond cake, which was made at 60 °C using water as a solvent, at a pressure of 10 MPa and in 15 minutes. This process presented a protein recovery efficiency of 19% and protein concentration next to 90%. The literature reports an efficiency of 12% in a process that results in a protein ingredient from macaúba almonds with 94% protein in a much longer process time (1 hour).
Furthermore, solubility of this protein fraction obtained, above 70%Is superior to protein commercial vegetable of peas, which presents values lower than 20%, and soybeans, between 15 and 60%. This fraction presented water absorption capacity similar to cereal proteins e high oil absorption capacity, superior to capacity of commercial proteins such as soy and pea. These characteristics are interesting for application in products such as hamburgers and nuggets.
Regarding nutritional characteristics, the protein coming of the macauba almond almost completely met the standard of essential amino acids (AA) required per gram of protein, presenting scores below the requirement only for isoleucine and leucine. Therefore, the protein ingredient obtained can fully supply the sulfur-containing AAs (Met + Cys) and aromatic AAs (Phe + Tyr), which are generally limiting amino acids in legumes such as beans, soybeans and peas; in addition to meeting the lysine (Lys) requirement standard, the limiting amino acid in most cereal proteins.
Fiber-rich ingredient obtained from babassu almonds / Nedio Jair Wurlitzer – Embrapa Agroindústria Tropical
The project sought to evaluate how to use the residue from processing babassu almonds to develop a fiber-rich ingredient to be used in products plant based. The processing conditions were determined, as well as the chemical composition and stability during storage, in addition to the application of the ingredient in product formulations. plant based as analogues of hamburgers and mortadella.
The ingredient presented in its composition 42,7% dietary fiber and, when applied in product formulations, allows their labeling to indicate “high content” of dietary fiber, considering the requirements of the Nutritional Labeling Legislation. The ingredient has also demonstrated high water retention capacity, similar to bamboo fibers or cashew peduncles, a property that is reflected in the performance of the formulations.
In addition to the technical requirements, the fiber-rich babassu almond ingredient also meets the requirements of social sustainability (coconut cracking agro-industries), environmental (controlled extractivism) and regional/native (Amazon Region).
Use of baru byproduct to obtain textured vegetable protein / Dr. Ana Paula Rebellato - UNICAMP
develop a textured vegetable protein with the incorporation of baru byproduct is of utmost importance for obtaining an ingredient with national raw material and techno-functional properties. Baru is a fruit from the Brazilian Cerrado, brownish in color and with a single seed. Its almond contains lipids, easily digestible proteins e adequate essential amino acid profile, in addition to fibers, minerals and bioactive compounds. The extraction of its oil has been carried out commercially. However, during pressing, a partially defatted by-product (cake) is generated, which is underutilized. This by-product may carry part of the macro and micronutrients present in the almond.
The project studied the incorporation of the baru byproduct in the production of textured vegetable protein through the thermoplastic extrusion process. The technological characteristics of the extrudates with baru, soy and gluten were analyzed. In addition, the application of textured proteins in the production of hamburgers was evaluated. plant based.
For this, they were prepared blends with different proportions of soy protein concentrate (SPC), defatted baru flour (DBF) and vital gluten (VG) and a control (only SPC and VG). The expansion index (IE) and water absorption index (IAA), and the hydration capacity (CH) were superior in the protein textured with baru, while the release of fines was similar among the different extruded samples.
Then, the selected textured proteins were used to obtain the burgers. plant based, which were prepared with few ingredients in order to highlight the perception of the ingredients studied. The burgers with textured protein with baru presented color similar to the product of animal origin, in addition to masking the flavor characteristic of soy, noticeable in the control burger.
The results also demonstrated that it was possible to obtain vegetable burgers from textured protein with different proportions of baru with technological characteristics similar to the control burger. Future studies can be conducted regarding the application of textured proteins obtained with different proportions of baru in obtaining new products, such as ground meat, sausage, meatballs, among others.
Technology for obtaining fibers from cupuaçu and guarana shells / Professor Dr. Luiza Helena Meller da Silva - Federal University of Pará
The full valorization of raw materials from Brazilian biodiversity in the development of new products contributes to increased income, reduced environmental impact and the availability of new materials with high added value. The technology adopted for the purification and modification of fibers was simple: maceration with sodium bicarbonate for cupuaçu shells, and with citric acid for guarana shells.
Os effluents from the production of cupuaçu fibers have prospects for the development of pigments, while the effluents from the production of guarana fibers result in bioparticles obtained by drying by refractance window. The processes studied fit the concept of clean technologies, compatible with the technological reality of producing communities, easy assimilation, so that they can benefit from the development of new ingredients.
The modified fibers obtained from cupuaçu and guarana shells were tested in formulations of vegetable hamburgers and nuggets, reaching 10 to 15% of fibers in the formulations, without compromising the flavor, And contribute to the texture. This property makes the formulations flexible for the inclusion of vegetable proteins. The technology studied for the first time may be easily adapted to other waste materials, such as cocoa shells, generating products from the full valorization of raw materials from Brazilian biodiversity.
Study and Application of Supercritical Extraction of Brazil Nuts in Protein Formulations for Hamburgers / Dr. Raul Nunes de Carvalho Junior - Federal University of Pará
The demand for products similar to those of animal origin gave rise to the search for plant-based protein ingredients for the food industry, such as Brazil nuts, a raw material of great importance for the Amazon. The development of a product with these characteristics represents a new possibility of verticalization of the Brazil nut production chain, generation of jobs and income, being in accordance with the Amazon bioeconomy.
The use of supercritical technology adds value to this species and encourages preservation of the environment, since no toxic solvents are used e there is no waste generation.
One of the two products generated from the study of the best operating conditions for extraction with supercritical fluid was the chestnut protein flour, which presented low lipid content and approximately 50% protein, And phenolic compounds e antioxidant activity. The analysis of the functional properties of the flour indicated that the extraction process caused a positive impact about these characteristics and that can be used both as a final product and in the formulation of other products, such as hamburger plant based.
The burgers were developed from three different formulations, molded, frozen and then baked in an oven ready for consumption, simulating the way plant-based products are presented on the market. Although more studies are needed to improve the characteristics of the products, the results indicated that have potential for the production of hamburgers for the market plant based.
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18/12/25
