Research summary
Canadian consumers waste almost 2.5 million tonnes of food every year—more than $10 billion worth. Often, food is wasted because it expires or consumers don’t like the taste. As Canada Research Chair in Protein and Flavour Chemistry, Dr. Marcia English is exploring how we can put an end to food waste.
She and her research team aim to better understand and improve the shelf-life stability, sensory quality (flavour and texture), and nutritional properties of plant-based foods. They are characterizing the nutritional quality, functional properties and flavour profiles of new and emerging plant proteins. They are also identifying the mechanisms underlying the development of flavour in plant-based foods and evaluating components that influence flavour interactions during processing and storage. In addition, they are using waste from food processing to form biodegradable packaging materials by blending the waste with protein-rich materials.