Project Manager : Asst. Prof. Dr. İbrahim Gülseren
Faculty/Department : Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences / Food Engineering
Project Duration: 24 Months
Total Project Budget : 150.661,00 TL
Executing/Partner Institution : TAGEM (General Directorate of Agricultural Research and Policies)
Project Start Date : Sep 1, 2014, 00:00
In Türkiye, the development of the food ingredients industry has remained more limited than that of the agricultural and food processing industries. Consequently, many food ingredients displaying technical and biological functionality are imported by our food industry. The production of new food ingredients and additives manufactured with an innovative approach and using agricultural products grown intensively in our country will have a positive impact on our economy. The sunflower plant is an oilseed frequently used in the production of edible oils in our country. On the other hand, both sunflower meal and the remaining parts of the plant are materials of relatively low added value. Using these resources and our other agricultural by-products in value-added products will mean the development of our food ingredients industry and a reduction in our food industry's dependence on imports. Similarly, another of our national plants that has not reached its economic potential in terms of food ingredients is the cherry laurel. It appears possible to use the polyphenolic compounds that can be isolated from this plant in the design of new, value-added, functional food products, owing to their potential anti-carcinogenic effects. This project proposes the isolation of the pectin molecules found in the sunflower head and of cherry laurel polyphenols, and the encapsulation of the polyphenolic compounds within pectin gels. The physico-chemical properties and bioactivities of these encapsulation systems will be examined and their potential for use in food products will be assessed. On the basis of these data, the potential for using sunflower head pectin in food and pharmaceutical systems, and cherry laurel polyphenols in food systems, will be evaluated.