(Press-News.org) COLUMBUS, Ohio – Off-putting smells can make even the healthiest of foods unpalatable.
In a new study, researchers have developed a way to remove unpleasant aromas from plant-based proteins to make them smell more appealing. They did so by designing a two-step fermentation process to counter the odors that typically form during cultivation and extraction.
The study’s results showed that their approach could remove between 95 to 99% of key smells, significantly outperforming one-stage fermentation across all proteins.
Ultimately, the work paves the way for consumers to embrace a wider variety of safe and nutritious food choices, said Sheryl Barringer, senior author of the study and a professor in food science and technology at The Ohio State University.
“Plant-based proteins are becoming more and more popular, either as people become vegetarians or just want to reduce their meat consumption,” she said. “Consumers want that option, but they don't want to give up on the taste.”
Most plant-based proteins, especially those produced as alternatives to milk and dairy products, naturally emit odors that can negatively affect their reception by consumers. Since smell greatly influences flavor perception, these scents, often described as beany, grassy, earthy, sulfurous or cereal-like, can make it difficult for consumers to choose healthier food alternatives.
“Lots of factors all contribute to food preference, but it’s really hard to say I’m going to force myself to eat a product because it’s good for me, even if it tastes bad,” said Barringer.
Still, as global demand shifts toward more sustainable, health-conscious and allergen-friendly foods, scientists are having to get creative about raising interest in plant-based proteins. Aside from their compatibility with vegan and lactose-intolerant diets, alternative proteins would likely also be beneficial for the long-term health of the global food supply, as well as help reduce the environmental impact of our food systems.
The study was recently published in the journal Foods.
Depending on the product, successful fermentation can take anywhere from a few hours to a whole day.. Adding the second step doesn’t overcomplicate this process, meaning that future plant-based proteins created using this team’s anti-smell method won’t cost consumers more or take longer to make, said Manpreet Kaur, lead author of the study and a PhD student in food science and technology at Ohio State.
“We are using the same things that are used in the normal fermentation process,” said Kaur. “The only thing changed is how we utilize the bacteria.”
In the first stage of the experiment, researchers added a type of beneficial bacteria, Lactobacillus plantarum, to their microbial cultures, allowing it to ferment and begin breaking down the compounds responsible for foul smells. In stage two, they used a traditional yogurt culture containing a variety of common bacteria known for developing and modulating desirable aromas to complete the fermentation process.
The team then applied this method to solutions containing eight different plant proteins: 9% soy, pea, chickpea, mung bean, faba bean, rice, barley-rice and hemp. In each test, human sensory evaluation results revealed consistent and often near-complete reductions in smells.
Kaur and colleagues also found that adding certain ingredients could affect the outcome of the process. For example, while the natural sugar allulose could enhance Lactobacillus plantarum activity, strawberry preserves aided the performance of the bacteria in the yogurt. In contrast, non-fermentable additives, such as pectin, xanthan gum and oil, were introduced with only minimal effects on odor reduction.
Overall, this work not only advances the field’s understanding of how fermentation can be used to mitigate unsavory sensory challenges, but also offers a practical solution for the development of flavorful plant-based dairy snack alternatives, the researchers say.
“There’s a real focus on people wanting to be healthier and more environmentally conscious, and a push for plant-based products instead of meat and dairy products,” said Barringer. “So I expect this area of research will absolutely continue to grow in the next many years.”
Charlotte Gray from Ohio State was also a co-author.
#
Contact: Sheryl Barringer, Barringer.11@osu.edu
Written by: Tatyana Woodall, Woodall.52@osu.edu
END
As the global electric vehicle (EV) market and renewable energy sector continue to expand rapidly, demand for advanced lithium-ion battery technology continues to grow. A research team from City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) has been awarded funding under the "RAISe+ Scheme" to address the long-standing voltage decay issue associated with lithium-rich cathode materials. This groundbreaking research aims to introduce a new range of battery materials that offer enhanced energy density, extended lifespan and reduced costs.
The ...
With a few minutes of searching, anyone can find videos online of chatty birds: macaws talk to their keepers, cockatoos sing to the camera, corvids mimic the jarring sounds of construction sites.
Research has shown that some birds can understand and use words in context — so, when Polly speaks up from inside her cage, she may really want a cracker — but scientists know far less about how birds use their vocal abilities in the wild. Christine Dahlin, professor of biology at the University ...
Manufacturing next-generation solar panels could cut global carbon emissions by up to 8.2 billion tonnes by 2035, finds a new international study by researchers from the University of Warwick and Northumbria, Birmingham, and Oxford Universities.
Solar panels, known scientifically as photovoltaics (PV), convert sunlight directly into electricity and are central to global decarbonisation. But as countries race to deploy solar at multi-terawatt scale, the carbon footprint of manufacturing these devices is coming under increasing scrutiny.
At the same time, the industry is rapidly shifting from the current industry-standard ...
Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is the most common form of focal epilepsy, affecting a significant proportion of patients who develop drug-resistant epilepsy. Surgical interventions, particularly stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG)-guided temporal lobe resection (TLR) and SEEG-guided responsive neurostimulation (RNS), have emerged as pivotal treatment options. This systematic review aims to compare the efficacy, safety, and quality of life (QoL) outcomes associated with these two interventions in adults with drug-resistant TLE.
The review followed the PRISMA 2020 ...
Background and objectives
Cardiac pacemaker implantation is a primary therapy for various arrhythmic disorders; however, safety concerns persist in India. This study aimed to evaluate two-year safety outcomes of cardiac pacemakers, implantable cardioverter-defibrillators, and cardiac resynchronization therapy devices in a tertiary care setting.
Methods
In this prospective cohort study, data collection was conducted over a one-year enrolment period (February 2023 to January 2024), encompassing patient demographics, pacemaker implantation details, indications, and comorbidities. Patients were prospectively followed for a total of two years from enrolment—during the ...
G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are one of the largest families of cell surface proteins in the human body that recognize hormones, neurotransmitters, and drugs. These receptors regulate a wide range of physiological processes and are the targets of more than 30% of currently marketed drugs. The histamine H1 receptor (H1R) is one such GPCR subtype that plays a key role in mediating allergic reactions, inflammation, vascular permeability, airway constriction, wakefulness, and cognitive functions in the human body. While antihistamines primarily target H1R, current drugs can exhibit limited therapeutic efficacy, prompting researchers to look at H1R ligands from new perspectives.
Recently, ...
Weight loss is a well-recognized but poorly understood non-motor feature of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Many patients progressively lose weight as the disease advances, often alongside worsening motor symptoms and quality of life. Until now, it was unclear whether this reflected muscle loss, poor nutrition, or deeper metabolic changes. New research shows that PD-related weight loss is driven mainly by a selective loss of body fat, while muscle mass is largely preserved, and is accompanied by a fundamental shift in how the body produces energy.
Although PD is classically viewed as a neurological disorder, increasing evidence points to widespread ...
In two new studies on 28,000 individuals, researchers are able to show that genetic variants in 11 regions of the human genome have a clear influence on which bacteria are in the gut and what they do there. Only two genetic regions were previously known. Some of the new genetic variants can be linked to an increased risk of gluten intolerance, haemorrhoids and cardiovascular diseases.
The community of bacteria living in our gut, or gut microbiome, has become a hot research area in recent years because of its great significance for health and disease. However, the extent ...
Study creates most precise map yet of agricultural emissions, charts path to reduce hotspots
New map breaks down agricultural emissions by crop and source
East Asia and Pacific contributed to about half of the total agricultural greenhouse gas
Rice alone contributed 43% of cropland emissions
Regions that produce a lot of food are often high emitters
Authors says that mitigation planning should take productivity into account
ITHACA, N.Y. – To lower agricultural emissions, policymakers and communities first need to pinpoint the sources. Not just by country ...
To understand how heat normally flows, you could study the second law of thermodynamics – or wrap your hands around a hot mug of coffee. Both tell us that heat tends to flow toward cooler regions. As a material’s thermal energy increases, its atoms vibrate, and quantum mechanics describes these vibrations as phonons: quasiparticles that transport heat. Normally, collisions between phonons cause heat to dissipate slowly. But in highly ordered, pure crystals, these collisions can result in a fluid-like, directional heat flow known as phonon hydrodynamics.
Researchers from the group of Theory and Simulation of Materials, led ...
