WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The United Soybean Board (USB) announced a $1.1 million award to the Purdue University Food Entrepreneurship and Manufacturing Institute (FEMI), in partnership with the University of Arkansas and the University of Missouri, to a joint project that works to build infrastructure and connectivity for small- and medium-scale processing of value-added soybean products.
The project is co-funded by the Food and Agriculture Research Foundation, a federal organization that supports research activities focused on addressing key agricultural issues, including plant health and production, agricultural economics and rural communities, as well as agricultural and food security.
Students process produce in the Skidmore Laboratory located in the Nelson Hall of Food Science. (Purdue University Agricultural Communications photo) Download Image
Dharmendra Mishra, Associate Professor and Director of FEMI, will lead the project born out of a national discussion on the soybean value chain. Other members of the Purdue team for the grant are Senay Simsek, department head and professor of food science; Katy Rainey, associate professor of agronomy; and Karen Hudson, USDA-ARS researcher and molecular biologist. Starting October 1st with an expected timeline of one year, the project will focus on phenotyping compositional traits in new value-added applications, trials to remove pressure on small and medium-scale industrial sectors and the final product quality and sensory evaluations.
“Soybeans currently produce the highest protein yields per unit area of any other plant source,” Mishra said. “The main challenge is that quality issues related to flavor and functionality have impacted the use of soy protein products currently available for food.”
Global demand for soy protein isolate/concentrate is expected to grow 80-fold, while the global meat substitute market is expected to reach $140 billion by 2029, Mishra said. The increase in soybean production for renewable diesel production is expected to increase by 10% over the next three years.
“There was a critical need to help soybean growers and soybean processors. Our project proposes to solve the small to medium scale processing bottleneck and facilitate the scaling of Identity Preserved (IP) systems through our multi-state team,” said Mishra. “Our project is part of the overall strategic vision of the connectivity of soybean users to the market.”
Simsek said this type of highly interdisciplinary work requires collaboration and coordinated efforts with researchers and scientists from different disciplines across institutions.
“Soy products have continued to grow over the past few years and expect continued growth in the future,” Simsek said. “Through this grant, Purdue Food Science will be a hub for research, development, and education that will connect and bridge the gaps between growers, breeders, researchers, students, the food industry, and consumers. consumers.”
Purdue’s Skidmore Retail and Distribution Food Development Laboratory and Pilot Plant allows stakeholders to come together and develop new soy products using state-of-the-art manufacturing processes to advance plant-based protein initiatives, refinement into oils, powders and other value-added products, Mishra said. Purdue will also offer sensory testing and consumer acceptance assessment of soy products through the Food Sciences Sensory Lab.
Sources: Dharmendra Mishra, mishra67@purdue.edu
Senay Simsek, ssimsek@purdue.edu
Writer: Jillian Ellison, 765-494-0948, ellison1@purdue.edu
Agricultural communications: 765-494-8415;
Maureen Manier, Head of Department, mmanier@purdue.edu
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