Lingonberry is a common wild berry in the Northern hemisphere. Due to its natural content of benzoic acid, prepared jams and drinks are stable without needing additional preservatives. When producing drinks there are substantial remains in the form of a press-cake, which also contains benzoic acid. In this project, we explored the possibility to use the press-cake to partly substitute the main ingredients in food products, using falafels and sausages as vegan and meat-based examples. The main objective was to determine if the shelf life could be extended but there were also some focuses on the possibility to produce products attractive for potential consumers. As the final concentrations of benzoic acid would be rather low, the products were vacuum-sealed and stored at refrigerated concentrations. Microbials contents were quantified during storage, both the propagation of inherent microbial flora, and added microorganisms in the form of challenge test. A notable observation was due to the storage conditions; microbial stability was acceptable for all products including the reference products. However, in the sausages, which were not subjected to thermal treatment during manufacturing, in the reference and with 5 % press-cake, the total bacterial count increased from log 2 to log 10, whereas, with 10 % press-cake, only an increase to log 4 was observed. Based on sensory analyses, it is not feasible to increase the amount of press-cake to make the products more stable. Hence, despite other potential benefits of using lingonberry press-cake as an ingredient, it cannot be used to improve food safety

Upcycled foods, products made from edible food residues that would otherwise have been discarded, offer an approach to tackling food waste, climate impact, and resource inefficiency. These foods provide both environmental and economic value by converting surplus into new, nutritious products. The project 'Reviving Food Resources', carried out in collaboration between RISE, the University of Borås, and Axfood, aimed to explore how upcycled foods can be more effectively integrated into the Swedish food supply chain. Through a stakeholder-driven approach and systematic needs assessment, the project identified barriers, opportunities, and actionable insights for implementation.

The project shows that there is technical potential and motivation to develop upcycled foods, but also a need for systematic support to address practical, commercial and structural barriers. In addition to technical feasibility, business and collaboration models need to be adapted to local conditions and the characteristics of the raw materials.

The project resulted in • A framework/working method for identifying barriers and challenges. • An initial analysis of Swedish food companies' views on upcycling • Recommendations for further work

Hygienisation at biogas plants – Proposal for additional national standard methods To be able to merchandise manure or digestate, the material must be sanitized to en-sure infection control. Swedish biogas facilities today have the choice between using one of two standard methods (at least 1 h at 70 °C, or 10 h at 52 °C) or going through a costly validation process if using alternative parameters. The main aim of this project has been to increase the profitability in the handling of biofertilizers by developing ad-ditional approved national standard methods for hygienization and thereby simplify the validation process. To achieve this, we have conducted interviews with stakeholders to find out which hygienisation parameters are most interesting for them. We have also compared the situation in other European countries and quantitatively and qualitative-ly reviewed scientific studies considering hygiene and inactivation data of microorgan-isms. However, the largest part of the project was laboratory studies where we generat-ed novel inactivation data for the heat-tolerant bacterium Salmonella Senftenberg W775 at different temperatures and time intervals. The requirement for an approved hygienisation is a 5-log reduction of the bacteria. The choice of input parameters in the lab studies was based on literature as well as on the interviews where often preference for hygienization at lower temperature was expressed to save energy and to avoid the need to adapt the equipment to higher temperatures.

Another request that emerged from the interviews was that, in connection with empty-ing vessels, they want to avoid leaving bottom sediment for destruction, which is a cost-ly procedure. Therefore, we have investigated the inactivation data of the roundworm Ascaris suum using limestome combined with heat treatment.

Based on our results, we propose the establishment of the following methods as new Swedish national methods for hygienisation: 1. Heat treatment of substrate for 3.5 hours at 60 °C 3 2. Heat treatment of substrate for 1 hour at 65 °C 3 3. Heat treatment of pure, source-separated food waste for 1 hour at 52 °C 4. Addition of at least 5 mass-% of lime (CaO) to bottom sediment4, and ensuring a temperature of at least 65 °C for at least 15 minutes.

Our assessment and recommendation are that the Swedish regulating authority can use the data regarding proposed treatment methods to approve new or existing biogas plants without the need to carry out a complete validation process including in-situ killing trials.

Lingonberry is a common wild berry that is often sold as jams and beverages. It naturally contains high amounts of the weak acid preservative benzoic acid making it an interesting ingredient for shelf-life extension. Despite this, their use as a raw ingredient is limited by the inherently intense sour taste. This study aimed to improve the taste of lingonberry juice by subjecting it to malolactic fermentation in order to reduce the sourness, and to investigate the benzoic acid in lingonberries as a natural preservative in juice blends by determining the microbial stability. After initial screening of lactic acid bacteria, a Lactiplantibacillus plantarum strain was used as the starter for subsequent investigations. Upon raising the pH, all malic acid was completely converted to lactic acid after seven days. The fermented juice was mixed with blackcurrant juice in different proportions. Challenge tests of the blends showed Listeria monocytogenes could not grow in any juice samples, while Candida albicans only grew in the pure blackcurrant juice. Aspergillus brasiliensis growth was delayed in all samples containing benzoic acid in a concentration-dependent manner. The sourness and astringency were substantially reduced in the juice with added L. plantarum compared to the unfermented juice. © 2024 The Authors

Bilberries (Vaccinium myrtillus) are the most common wild berries in Northern Europe. A substantial amount of the berries are picked with the objective to extract highly valued products such as anthocyanins. A smaller amount of the bilberries is used to make jams and drinks, and these are generally restricted to the domestic market. One reason is the sour taste, partly as a result of the high content of malic acid. By using certain strains of lactic acid bacteria with the ability to convert malic acid to lactic acid, the taste is predicted to be more pleasant. This process is called malolactic fermentation, and historically it has mostly been used in winemaking. After testing five different starter cultures, we identified that the strain, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum LP58, can rapidly convert malic acid to lactic acid without any loss of sugar or citric acid, which strongly indicates a successful malolactic acid fermentation. As it has been reported that other strains of L. plantarum can be used as biopreservative agents, the resulting product was also tested in terms of microbial safety after prolonged storage, and by means of metagenome sequencing. The obtained product was quite tolerant to microbial growth, but this observation was rather due to an initial heat treatment than the addition of lactobacilli. Potentially, starter cultures with documented biopreservative activity can be combined with L. plantarum LP58 to obtain a more stable product. Until then, the fermented bilberry juice must be processed and preserved like non-fermented bilberry products. © 2023, The Author(s).

The popularity of plant-based alternatives to meat has increased due to advancements in important attributes such as taste. Using adequate processing at elevated temperatures combined with aseptic packaging, especially in combination with storage below the freezing point, microbial hazards in these products are negligible. However, for plant-based alternatives to ham, sausages, spreads, or cheese, for example, on sandwiches, the product must withstand microbial growth in the fridge after breaking the seal of the food packaging, as everything is not typically consumed directly. Currently, there are few preservations methods, but one solution is adding weak acid preservatives, with less inherent health concerns compared to sulfites and nitrite, e.g. carcinogenicity and hypersensitivity. To be fully effective an acidic pH is required. In this study, an approach where sausage-resembling meat analogues with different pHs (4.14–5.56) were prepared without preservatives, with potassium sorbate (2000 mg/kg), or sodium disulfite (200 mg/kg), and thereafter subjected to standardised challenge tests to elucidate the efficacy. Sorbate was the only preservative effective to prevent growth of all tested organisms, Penicillium roqueforti, Pichia fermentans and Listeria monocytogenes. The identified superiority of sorbate compared to other tested preservatives is relevant knowledge when developing preservation strategies for other types of meat analogues.

Lingonberry is a popular fruit in the Nordic countries, where many variations of lingonberryproducts are available. The berry naturally contains high amounts of antioxidants andantimicrobial substances which make it an ideal natural preservative. The jui ce of lingonberryis also naturally low in pH which is often perceived as too sour in taste. To better utiliselingonberry juices as themselves or in combination with other ingredients, transformation ofthe juices is required to improve the palatability. The current study explored the possibility ofconverting malic to lactic acid using lactic acid bacteria, determine the changes in sensorycharacteristics of the fermented juices as well as blends thereof with blackcurrant juice, andinvestigate the microb ial stability of the juices when challenge tested. Lingonberries werepressed and the juices were fermented with L. plantarum. In order for the fermentation to beunimpeded due to active benzoic acid and successfully complete the conversion from malicacid to lactic acid, the pH of lingonberry juice was increased from 3.0 to 5.2. The resulting pHafter fermentation had stabilised to 4.9 after 7 days.To prepare the fermented lingonberry juices in a context of a mixture of juices, fermentedjuices were pasteurised and prepared in blends with diluted blackcurrant juice (25%) in fivedifferent proportions of lingonberry/blackcurrant juice; 0/100, 25/75, 5 0/50, 75/25, and 100/0.These five juices were evaluated with a sensory panel using descriptive analysis, along with anon fermented lingonberry juice. The juices evaluated showed that fermentation significantlyp <0.001) reduced the perceived sourness and astringency, seen from the difference betweenfermented and non fermented lingonberry juices. The fermentation had also significantlyp <0.001) increased the perceived sweetness of the juices.The five blends were also subjected to challenge tests using three microbial speciescommonly found in juices. In none of the samples the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes wereable to grow likely due to the low pH (3.07 4.98) possibly in combination with benzoic acid.The yeast, Candida albicans were only able to grow in 0/100 lingonberry/blackcurrant juice,which did not contain any benzoic acid. When testing Aspergillus brasiliensis, full growthcould only be observed in 0/100 lingonberry/blackcurrant j uice. In the blends, mould growthswere delayed in a concentration dependent manner where no growth was observed in the 100% fermented lingonberry juice even after six weeks. The challenge test overall indicated thatblends containing lingonberry juice pr event fungal growth although a high concentrationmight be required to prevent mold growth.

Syftet med projektet är visa på möjligheterna med att ersätta plastfilm i plansilotäckning med miljövänligt skum för att uppnå en tillfredställande ensileringsprocess för nordiska förhållanden. Målet med projektet är att se hur väl metoden fungerar samt för att belysa metodens möjligheter och svagheter. Detta innebär att förse lantbrukare med en objektiv bild av metodens potential under svenska förhållanden.

Syftet med projektet var att visa på möjligheten att ersätta syrabaserade konserveringsmedel vid vakuumlagring med mikrobiella tillsatsmedel för att uppnå en acceptabel konserveringprocess av fuktigt spannmål relevant för nordiska förhållanden. Målet med projektet var att se hur kombinationen vakuum och mikroorganism fungerar i praktiken både genom att titta på fördelar samt att identifiera möjliga nackdelar.