Characterization of By-Product in Oat Drink Production and Formulation of Vegan Patties

Abstract

As the food demand is rising, the need for sustainable and healthy food products is increasing. Today, many side streams in the food industry are lost even though it can be used as food for humans. The aim of this master thesis project was to investigate and characterize the properties of a by-product from oat drink production and to use the by-product as a main ingredient in vegan oat patties.

The characterization was aimed at studying the by-products thermal properties in a DSC unit, gelling effect by RVA measurements and water absorption using the dough rheometer DoughLab. It was found that the by-product formed a crystalline amylose-lipid complex at temperatures around 110 degrees Celsius, showed no gelling ability and had a water absorption of xx%.

The recipes for the vegan oat patties were created based on different trials where the amount of starch, type of oil source and cooking method were investigated. Two recipes were developed, one with the stabilizer methyl cellulose (MC) and one without. The results showed that a starch amount of 2%, rapeseed oil and frying were optimal for the recipe with MC, while 3% starch, coconut/shea oil and frying were most optimal for the recipe without MC. The patties were then compared with commercial burgers, where it was shown that the patties were harder and firmer than the burgers. A freezing test was also made on the patties were it was concluded that the patties can be frozen without losing weight and too much of its size and structure.

Popular Abstract

That we have an increasing population on Earth that rises the food demand is no secret. Our problem is how we are going to solve it. Today, many people are eating meat and having large food waste. Instead of feeding the animals with crops and then eating certain parts of the animals, we can get the food and nutrition we need from the crops directly. Since the caloric yield from the crops is heavily reduced when going through an animal, we could save a lot of food and take better advantages of the calories by eating the crops directly. In this way, we can increase the amount of food and at the same time respect and protect the animals. When talking about food waste, up to 50% of all food produced are lost before it reaches our dinner table. This means that more than 1 million tons of food is wasted only in Sweden each year! One of the culprits for the waste is the food production industry. Besides new improved technologies, we need to be better at utilizing the waste that actually can be used as food in order to reduce this number. That is why this project was created.

In this project a residual product from oat drink production was investigated. The goal was to use the oat production residue as an ingredient in a popular food product, patties. The patties would be vegan in order to minimize the environmental footprint and to follow todays sustainable trends. But before we tried to make the vegan oat patties, the residue had to be characterized to understand its properties and function. Properties such as water absorption, phase changes induced by heat and viscosity changes were investigated.

When the properties of the oat residue had been determined, it was time to create a start recipe. Since the residue had not been used in food products before, it was just to start testing all kinds of different combinations of ingredients and amounts. It was concluded that two recipes would be made, one with the stabilizer and thickening agent methyl cellulose (E461) and one without. When two stable patties had been created, the development of the perfect vegan oat patties started. Different trials with starch, fat sources and cooking methods were made, and the patties were analyzed after each trial. The evaluation of the results showed, among other things, that the patties with methyl cellulose were harder and firmer than the patties without and that frying is the most optimal cooking method.

A comparison with commercial vegan burgers were made after the two optimal final recipes had been developed based on the results from the trials. It showed that the patties were a bit harder but did not lose as much of original weight during frying as the commercial ones. This is a huge advantage since you do not want to fool your costumers. A freezing test were also made on the patties where it was shown that they can be frozen without losing any properties and functions.

A sensory evaluation was made with random people tasting the two final patties. It resulted in both patties receiving the same number of votes and overall praise. The both patties thus have a great potential to be launched at the market in the future after addition of spices and seasoning, and also some small corrections.

With this project, we have proven that it is possible and a good idea to use production residues as ingredients in food products. We can therefore say, mission completed!

• author: Westin, Hanna
• supervisor: Jeanette Purhagen; Karin Petersson
• organization: Food Technology and Nutrition (M.Sc.)
• alternative title: Karaktärisering av biprodukt vid havredrycksproduktion och utveckling av veganska biffar
• course: KLTM05 20201
• year: 2020
• type: H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
• subject: Technology and Engineering
• keywords: Food Engineering, Livsmedelsteknik
• language: English
• id: 9007863
• date added to LUP: 2020-04-17 14:45:26
• date last changed: 2020-04-17 14:45:26