Green Solution Centre pilot project grant
From feed to food – what does it take to make us eat rapeseed press cake?
A pilot project under Green Solution Centre living lab – “Our plant-based future”.
Rapeseed accounts for the largest fraction (~50%) of crude protein obtained from protein crops in EU with 150-200.000 ha grown in Denmark alone. The rapeseed press cake contains 30-40% protein with an excellent amino acid profile as well as dietary fibers. Today, the press cake is largely unexploited as human food due to its content of compounds that taste bitter and are anti-nutritional. We have put together a team of experts who will explore throughout the entire value chain, what obstacles must be overcome to bring rapeseed protein to our dinner tables.
The project involves three departments at UCPH: Plant biologists at PLEN will investigate a bitter compound at the molecular level, scientists from FOOD will study the sensory properties of the press cake, while ethnologists at the SAXO Institute will explore what it is that affects consumer acceptances of novel foods such as rapeseed press cake. Reaching out of academia, we have teamed up with gastronomy innovators at Munk Food, who will create novel product prototypes from rapeseed press cake.
Project team:
UCPH-PLEN: Postdoc Niels Christian Holm Sanden, master student Arendse Maria Toft, researcher Deyang Xu and Professor Barbara Ann Halkier
UCPH-FOOD: Professor Wender Bredie
UCPH-SAXO Institute: Associate Professor Frida Hastrup
Munk Food: R&D chief Juan Agustín Muñoz and project manager Mette Johnsen
The project is granted 297.000kr for a duration of 6 months.