GBP220,000 international project to turn blackcurrant pomace into food for human consumption
FOOD scientists at the University of Huddersfield have enlisted the aid of one of the UK's most iconic companies as they carry out Government-funded research into how a fruit by-product could enrich the fibre content of bread by up to 15 per cent.
Lucozade Ribena Suntory has provided samples of "pomace"—the material left after the blackcurrants have been pressed for juice—to support the University, where Dr Vassilis Kontogiorgos, Professor Grant Campbell and Dr Katerina Alba are carrying out the UK's contribution to a Europe-wide project named Berrypom.
The goal is to exploit the nutritional and economic value of pomace, which consists of the skins, pulp, seeds, and stems of berries after juicing. It can account for up to 30 per cent of the product, but has so far had limited use and is often discarded.
However, the pomace is a potentially rich source of polyphenols and fibre and therefore researchers in five European countries plus New Zealand have come together for Berrypom, which seeks to find methods of introducing it into cereal products, including bread, muffins, biscuits and breakfast foods.
The University of Huddersfield team is concentrating on ways to introduce the pomace into bread dough and the effects of this on taste and colour.
"We are aiming for an increase in fibre content of up to 15 per cent," said Dr Kontogiorgos, "and except for the colour you can't tell the difference," he claimed.
Early findings are that flavour is hardly affected by the introduction of pomace, but bread and muffins can acquire a dark colouration. Therefore, ways to lighten the colour of the blackcurrant by-product are being explored.
Berrypom was fostered by an EU project named SUSFOOD. Individual governments have been providing financial backing and the University of Huddersfield has received £150,000 from the UK's Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs. The University itself has added £70,000.
Provided by University of Huddersfield
