Plant-based food, ingredients and food quality
About this expertise
In short- Improving nutritional value & product quality
- Taste, safety & health
- Collaboration in innovation projects
We help companies take the step toward healthy and sustainable food based on plants and plant-derived ingredients. With expertise in breeding, plant metabolism, ingredients, and nutritional value, we develop products and processes that contribute to the protein transition — the shift toward a diet based more on plant-based products.
Plants offer a treasure trove of ingredients that contribute to the quality, taste, and nutritional value of food. Wageningen University & Research combines expertise in plant breeding, biochemistry, plant proteins and bioactive compounds, and nutrition to fully unlock this potential.
We develop methods to increase the levels of proteins, fibers, and bioactive compounds in crops, or to produce and apply them in foods through fermentation. We also study the nutritional value and safety of new ingredients.
- Use of plant diversity and bioactive compounds: exploration and analysis of the vast diversity of plant ingredients that may play a role in flavor, health, preservation, color, antioxidants, and more.
- Breeding, cultivation, and selection: improving the quality and health properties of crops and plant-based products through molecular research, breeding, and cultivation conditions.
- Composition, taste & sensory science: research on variation in composition related to genetic diversity (breeding), taste, and quality of food crops and plant-based products.
- Nutritional value & safety: analysis of health-promoting substances, bioactive compounds, allergens, and flavor compounds in plant-based products and ingredients.
- Chain innovation & collaboration: collaborating with companies on healthy and sustainable food concepts, including initiatives within the protein transition.
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dr. IM (Ingrid) van der Meer
Expert pland-based food, ingredients and food quality