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

Understanding the rheological properties of protein melts is critical in the design of meat analogues and the formation of texturised products from plant-based proteins. This study investigated the influence of temperature, moisture content (MC) and protein concentration on the rheological properties of pea protein isolate and pea fibre blends. The blends were chosen as an experimental space where it is possible to extrude fibrous meat analogues using high-moisture extrusion. Mechanical spectra by small amplitude oscillatory shear were determined using conventional rheometry and were compared to closed cavity rheometry (CCR) to extend the available temperature range. All blends behaved as polymer melts in the rubbery region with moduli increasing with frequency, and storage modulus larger than loss modulus for temperature 40-90°C, MC 54-63%, protein concentration 75-85%. Complex viscosity was strongly shear thinning. The relative influence of the parameters from additive and linear mixed models showed an influence of temperature > MC > concentration. The increase of modulus with concentration was quite weak and not statistically significant. The behaviour of the complex modulus was explained well with an Arrhenius-type log-linear mixed model. Conventional rheometry agreed well with CCR, showing an exponential decrease of moduli between 40 and 130°C. 

The present paper is concerned with the development of a custom pulsed ultrasound velocity profiling (PUV) methodology to non-invasively measure, analyze and control protein melt flow and power-law flow indices in the cooling die during high moisture (HME) extrusion processing. The methodology is first validated on glycerol and a carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) solution as Newtonian and shear-thinning reference fluids, respectively, at different flow rates followed by application to two pea protein melts at different moisture contents (MCs) in the low flow rate regime typical of a pilot-scale extruder and characterized by a poor signal to noise ratio (SNR) close to the extruder die wall. The flow indices were compared with those obtained from conventional rheometry, showing good agreement for the reference fluids and semi-quantitative agreement for the protein melts. The study confirms that PUV can be used for in-line application in a cooling die by measuring the local flow conditions, as well as contribute to the understanding of protein melt fibre formation. On the other hand, the SNR close to the die wall need to be improved e.g. by using an ultrasound transducer operating at higher frequency and modifying the die to enable quantitative agreement with flow simulations to properly extract local rheometric data. Thus, it is concluded that further refinement of the methodology is both possible and needed to improve the accuracy of the measurements in future work for in-line application during HME extrusion. 

A finite element model of spinodal decomposition in a power-law fluid in the extruder cooling die has been developed to investigate the effects of different parameters on fibre formation and alignment. The model makes use of the Cahn-Hilliard equations with a thermodynamic potential and numerical approximations to simulate local compositions in the separated state. The constitutive model is calibrated towards extrusion-relevant strain rates and temperatures by using a combination of rheometry techniques. The simulations show that the effect of decreased wall cooling has a limited effect on fibre development. Instead, decreasing the die width or increasing the die length can be used somewhat interchangeably to achieve fibre formation at the die exit. Viscosity also seemed to influence fibre formation in the outer viscous regions of the die by yielding comparably finer lamellar structures. The local composition of fibres also varied across the die, which may indicate differences in fibre consistency. 

Food contact materials (FCMs) i.e. materials that food is packaged or handled in, must be safe for their intended use. European FCM legislation uses a risk-based approach, with a cornerstone of FCM’s safety evaluation being measurement of migration of substances from FCMs to food simulants. The standard methods mainly developed for plastic FCMs are not always suitable for less inert and moisture sensitive materials such as paper and board. However, these are becoming increasingly common as FCMs e.g. to replace single-use plastics. In addition, there is a drive to further use recycled materials. To support this development, new methods for assessing the safety of these materials are needed. In the present feasibility study, a hydrogel crosslinked through freeze-thawing of poly(vinyl alcohol) was evaluated as a food simulant for moist foods. The migration of surrogate compounds from a spiked paperboard to the hydrogel was determined and compared to the migration to a real moist food (a slice of apple), the commonly used modified polyphenylene oxide (MPPO) and a water extract. Migration of polar surrogates to the hydrogel correlated well with the migration to the apple slice. However, our results indicate that the hydrogel is less suitable as simulant for non-polar surrogates. Overall, the study demonstrates the potential of this hydrogel-based simulant for improving risk assessment of less inert FCMs. 

Swallowing disorders, or dysphagia, affect a large part of the population due to factors such as degenerative diseases, medication side effects or simply age-related impairment of physiological oropharyngeal function. The management of dysphagia is mainly handles through texture-modified foods of progressively softer, smoother, moister textures, depending on the severity of the disorder. Rheological and physiological-related properties of boluses were determined for a group of five older persons (average age, 74) for a set of texture-modified foods: bread, cheese and tomato and the combination into a sandwich. The softest class was gel food, after which came a smooth timbale; both were compared to boluses of regular food. The subjects chewed until ready to swallow, at which point the bolus was expectorated and measured regarding saliva content, linear viscoelasticity and shear viscosity. The results were compared to those of a previously studied younger group (average age, 38). The general physiological status of the subjects was determined by hand and tongue strength, diadochokinesis and one-legged standing and showed that all subjects were as healthy and fit as the younger group. Age-related properties such as one-legged standing with closed eyes and salivary flow plus bolus saliva content were lower for the older group, but the average chews-until-swallow was surprisingly also lower. Consequently, bolus modulus and viscosity were higher than for the younger group. Overall, the intended texture modification was reflected in bolus rheological and physiological-related properties. Bolus modulus, viscosity, saliva content and chews-until-swallowed all decreased from regular food to timbale food to gel food. © 2023 The Authors.

Objectives: Preserving sufficient oral function and maintaining adequate nutrition are essential for preventing physical frailty and the following long-term care. We recently developed the 6-month Comprehensive Awareness Modification of Mouth, Chewing And Meal (CAMCAM) program, in which participants gather monthly to learn about oral health and nutrition while eating a textured lunch together. This study examined whether the CAMCAM program could improve attitude and behavior towards oral health, mastication, and diet as well as ameliorate oral frailty in community-dwelling older adults. Design: Single-arm pre-post comparison study. Setting and Participants: A total of 271 community-dwelling adults (72.3 ± 5.7 years of age; 159 women [58.7%]) in 4 Japanese municipalities were recruited, of which 249 participants (92%) were assessed at the final evaluation. Intervention: Participants gathered once a month at community centers to learn about oral health and nutrition while eating a “munchy” textured lunch containing proper nutrition. Measurements: Oral frailty, frailty, and eating behavior were evaluated with the Oral Frailty Index-8 (OFI-8), Kihon checklist (KCL), and CAMCAM checklist, respectively. Participants were divided into Oral frailty (OF) and Robust groups according to OFI-8 scores. The differences in KCL and CAMCAM checklist results between the OF and Robust groups were statistically tested along with changes in scores after the program. Results: KCL and CAMCAM checklist scores were significantly lower in the OF group at the initial assessment. OFI-8 and KCL findings were significantly improved in the OF group after completing the program (all P <0.05). Regarding the CAMCAM checklist, awareness of chewing improved significantly in the Robust group (P=0.009), with a similar tendency in the OF group (P=0.080). Conclusion: The findings of this pilot study suggest that the CAMCAM program may improve both oral and systemic frailty in addition to attitudes towards chewing, oral health, and meals, especially in individuals with oral frailty. The CAMCAM program merits expansion as a community-based frailty prevention program. 

Problems with swallowing or dysphagia is an increasing problem due to the ageing population. Investigation methods commonly require clinical techniques which are tedious and costly. An alternative analysis is to measure the swallowing time non-invasively through monitoring of swallowing sounds. GOKURI is an AI-powered, smartphone-based, neckband- type device for the assessment of the swallowing function. The present study investigated swallow sounds of food in comparison to those of water swallows. In total 19 healthy subjects were eating a full meal while their swallowing was recorded via the swallowing sensor. The results show that the time it takes for a person to swallow varies greatly. Nevertheless, the length of swallowing solid food differed significantly from water, which were slightly shorter to swallow (0.702s vs. 0.668 s respectively). This correlates well with our previous study where swallowing of water took shorter time compared to thicker Newtonian and a shear-thinning fluids.

We examine the influence of surface charge on the percolation, gel-point and phase behavior of cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) suspensions in relation to their nonlinear rheological material response. Desulfation decreases CNC surface charge density which leads to an increase in attractive forces between CNCs. Therefore, by considering sulfated and desulfated CNC suspensions, we are comparing CNC systems that differ in their percolation and gel-point concentrations relative to their phase transition concentrations. The results show that independently of whether the gel-point (linear viscoelasticity, LVE) occurs at the biphasic - liquid crystalline transition (sulfated CNC) or at the isotropic - quasi-biphasic transition (desulfated CNC), the nonlinear behavior appears to mark the existence of a weakly percolated network at lower concentrations. Above this percolation threshold, nonlinear material parameters are sensitive to the phase and gelation behavior as determined in static (phase) and LVE conditions (gel-point). However, the change in material response in nonlinear conditions can occur at higher concentrations than identified through polarized optical microscopy, suggesting that the nonlinear deformations could distort the suspensions microstructure such that for example a liquid crystalline phase (static) suspension could show microstructural dynamics similar to a biphasic system.

We have developed a nano-rheological characterization tool to extract the frequency- and scale-dependent rheological properties of soft materials during oral processing. Taking advantage of AC susceptometry, the dynamic magnetization of magnetic nanoparticles blended in the matrix material is measured. The magnetic AC susceptibility spectra of the particles are affected by the viscosity and mechanical modulus of the matrix material and provide the rheological properties of the matrix. Commercially available iron-oxide magnetic nanoparticles with 80 and 100 nm particle sizes are used as tracers in the frequency range of 1 Hz&ndash;10 kHz. The AC susceptibility is measured using two differentially connected coils, and the effects of the sample temperature and distance with respect to the detection coils are investigated. The developed measurement setup shows the feasibility of remote nano-rheological measurements up to 2 cm from the coil system, which can be used to, e.g., monitor the texture of matrix materials during oral processing.