Food Chemistry Group
The Laboratory of Food Chemistry, led by chairholder Jean-Paul Vincken, is engaged in research and education about food chemistry. Our mission is to leverage analytical and chemical expertise, to establish structure-function & structure-reactivity relationships of food molecules and predictive models, for the improvement of food products and processes.
Food proteins
Proteins vary widely in their structure, their functional properties will diverge accordingly. Additionally, the functionality of proteins is influenced by the isolation procedure, (physico-)chemical or enzymatic modification, and the composition and processing route of the food in which they are applied. We focus on (1) the use of proteins as food ingredient and (2) on their breakdown by digestive enzymes.
Food proteins
Proteins vary widely in their structure, their functional properties will diverge accordingly. Additionally, the functionality of proteins is influenced by the isolation procedure, (physico-)chemical or enzymatic modification, and the composition and processing route of the food in which they are applied. We focus on (1) the use of proteins as food ingredient and (2) on their breakdown by digestive enzymes.
Phytochemicals
Phytochemicals are phenolic compounds, which are molecules that are particularly reactive and are prone to structural changes during plant growth, and during processing and storage of plant-based food products or ingredients. These structural changes modulate phytochemicals’ molecular and functional properties, consequently affecting the properties (e.g. colour and taste) of plant-based food products or ingredients.
Plant Antimicrobials
The Plant Antimicrobials group focusses on promising plant-derived antimicrobial compounds to improve food safety and combat antimicrobial resistance. We (1) characterize the anti-microbiological properties of plant-derived compounds from novel sources, including valorization of agrifood byproducts. (2) Model and predict their structure-activity relationships by integrating chemical composition analyses with bioactivity screening. (3) Elucidate their modes of action to develop synergistic, plant-based antimicrobial strategies.
Food lipids
The term ‘Lipids’ refers to a wide class of molecules, the main ones being fatty acids, glycerolipids, glycerophospholipids, sphingolipids, and sterols. They contribute to the flavour, texture, and nutritional value of food. Lipid oxidation is an important challenge for the food industry as it reduces nutritional value and generates off-flavour. Better understanding the mechanisms behind lipid oxidation will help developing innovative ways to prevent it.
Flavour chemistry
Flavour is one of the primary factors influencing consumers' food choices. It primarily consists of taste, driven by non-volatile and semi-volatile compounds, and aroma, driven by volatile odorants. While tastants and aroma compounds can originate from raw foods and ingredients, a great deal of them are formed through chemical and enzymatic reactions during food processing. Within the flavour chemistry theme, our goal is to gain a deeper understanding of flavour-generating reactions and flavour-matrix interactions at the molecular level.
Food carbohydrates & Lignin
Our research focuses on carbohydrates and lignin in food and plant materials. We study how their structure affects food quality, processing, digestion and health, and how plant biomass can be used more efficiently.
Education
Education by this Chair Group
We care about education. Therefore, we constantly adapt and improve our education to the changing needs of our students and to the possibilities that science and (new) media gives us.
Publications & Projects
The Laboratory of Food Chemistry, led by chairholder Jean-Paul Vincken, is engaged in research and education about food chemistry. Our mission is to leverage analytical and chemical expertise, to establish structure-function & structure-reactivity relationships of food molecules and predictive models, for the improvement of food products and processes.
Highlighted publications
- Polysaccharide lyase family 3 subfamily 2 is specific for highly methyl-esterified homogalacturonan characterized for two Aspergillus nidulans lyases
- Characterization of the reactions of β-lactoglobulin and potato proteins with chlorogenic acid using a UHPLC-ESI-MS approach
- Impact of phosphatidylcholine and galactolipids on the oxidative stability of commercial microalgal oil containing tocopherols
Chairholder
Jean-Paul Vincken has been chair of Food Chemistry since 2019. He investigates the chemical reactions that make food, like apples, turn brown. Vincken also focuses on innovating education: ‘We make use of digital teaching aids for active learning and we stimulate students to come up with their own plan to investigate a research question. Practicals where you simply follow a standard protocol are a thing of the past.’
People of Food Chemistry
Each chair group of Wageningen University & Research, under leadership of a professor, has its own area of expertise. Meet the people of Food Chemistry.
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