What, when and who?

West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin/Lider XI financed by National Center for Research and Development Poland/Development of innovative bioactive fermented vegan food products from selected oil cakes available on the Polish market. Our project exists since 01.2021. It has a duration until 2024. Involved are:

West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin:

• Łukasz Łopusiewicz PhD
• Emilia Drozłowska
• Natalia Śmietana PhD
• Szymon Macieja
• Elżbieta Lichwiarska
• Anna Pietrak

Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin:

• Paweł Kwiatkowski PhD

Background and goals

The aim of the project is to develop a group of products in the form of fermented snacks and drinks in the type of so-called “plant milks” with the features of functional foods, produced from selected oil cakes (residues after oil pressing), available on the Polish market.

Oilcakes from amaranth, black cumin, hemp, camelina, sesame, sunflower and evening primrose were selected for the project. It is a response to the growing interest in gluten-free, lactose-free and sugar-free vegetarian and vegan products, characterized by a high content of bioactive compounds, fiber and containing beneficial microflora.

The project includes development of products using mixed starter cultures (yogurt and kefir) as well as selected probiotic strains, determination of their physicochemical properties, content of bioactive compounds and their durability during refrigerated storage, as well as determination of a broad spectrum of bioactivity including: antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of products obtained in relation to selected pathogens determining their potential in the prevention of food poisoning. In addition, in the case of developed products in the form of fermented plant drinks, it is expected to obtain from them spray-dried powders and to determine the possibility of reconstitution of these products over a six months storage period.