Laboratory Food Technology / Nutrition

In the food technology / nutrition laboratory, the basics of the importance of raw materials for food technology are taught. In principle, the aim is to assess certain raw materials and examine whether they are suitable for a specific production process. What are the raw materials like from a sensory point of view - appearance, taste, texture? What is the general quality of the raw materials? What is the commercial class? Is their composition (protein, fat, carbohydrate content, etc.) suitable for food processing? In the laboratory, raw materials of vegetable and animal origin are tested: for example, carrots, potatoes and cereals from the area of vegetable raw materials; from the area of animal raw materials, e.g. pork and beef as well as poultry. 
In addition, nutritional-physiological aspects of food processing are also examined, e.g. which important nutrients (vitamins, minerals, etc.) are lost during the processing of the raw materials or which undesirable substances are produced or reduced by the preparation.

The laboratory has various devices for testing raw materials for their suitability for processing into food. Among other things, a photometer is available for determining various substances (e.g. colour values for paprika powder, protein content of various foods). Colour meters, pH meters, refractometers, etc. can be used to determine other quality parameters of raw materials and foodstuffs.

In addition, there are devices for the production of foodstuffs in order to be able to develop products and manufacture them in smaller quantities (laboratory scale). As a rule, these are products in which nutritional aspects play a role, such as reduced-fat, reduced-salt or reduced-sugar or gluten-free products. The equipment includes, for example, a Thermomix or a Konvektomat (steamer) and various stirring and tempering devices.

There are high-pressure liquid chromatographs (HPLC) for testing for individual substances in the raw materials or processed foods. These devices can be used to identify and quantify various substances (e.g. vitamins, flavourings) contained in food. In addition, there are numerous devices for extracting these substances from raw materials or food.

The practical course for the module "Fundamentals of Biology and Commodity Science" is primarily about determining the quality of various raw materials (e.g. potatoes, meat, vegetables, spices).

In one exercise, the students receive an extract from the descriptive list of potato varieties and have to find out which potato variety the sample is. In another experiment, the aim is to determine the nitrate content in potatoes. There are many influencing factors here, for example the cultivation and weather conditions. In addition, the students learn to assess the technological suitability of raw materials for food processing: What influence does the starch content of potatoes have on the quality of the crisps made from them when deep-frying? Why do some potato varieties make the chips darker than others? What do you have to watch out for when you want to use potatoes to make chips or alcohol?

In the course of the study project, the students deal with practical applications of the national reduction strategy, which aims to reduce salt, sugar and fat in industrially produced food. In the project, corresponding products are produced: e.g. low-fat mayonnaise, low-fat burger patties, low-sugar ice cream, low-sugar pudding, low-salt ketchup and low-salt buns. The products are manufactured according to legal requirements, including which ingredients and in what quantity they may be used. The products are then sensory tested to determine whether a consumer would accept the product in the reduced version and buy it.

Another project, initiated by the Regional Innovation Centre for Health and Quality of Life Fulda (RIGL-Fulda), is to be carried out in cooperation with regional suppliers. The intention is to investigate what distinguishes regional raw materials, e.g. potatoes and vegetables.

Research foci in the laboratory are sensory and chemical analyses of pungent substances in food, such as pungent substances in chilli or mustard. What is interesting here is: When does it start to be perceived as spicy? How long does it last? What is the intensity at different concentrations and what is an effective neutralising agent?