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The Project Aiming for Climate-Smart Food Innovation, Involving Prof.Dr. Pınar OBAKAN YERLIKAYA, Receives Support from the European Union

The project titled “Climate-Smart Food Innovation: Use of Plant and Seaweed Proteins from Upcycled Sources” (IPSUS), in which Prof.Dr. Pınar OBAKAN YERLIKAYA, a faculty member of the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics of our University’s Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, is among the consultants, started in 2022 under the management of Asst.Prof.Dr. İsmail Hakkı TEKINER, faculty member from Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University as the Consortium member.

This study, which is an ERA-NET project, will continue for three years as it has been entitled to support within the scope of the European Union’s new Research and Innovation Framework Program, “Horizon 2020 EraNet SUSFOOD2-FOSC 2021 Joint Call”. The consultants of the Turkey leg of the project; i.e, the existence of potential allergenic situations, are Prof.Dr. Pınar OBAKAN YERLIKAYA of our university and Asst.Prof.Dr. Mehmet ÖZBIL from Gebze Technical University. The project was initiated to support sustainable food consumption and production, with developed countries taking the lead and other countries taking action. The project partners include Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University, Greenwich University from the UK, Parma University and SSICA from Italy, Ecole Nationale d’Agriculture de Meknes and Mohammed V University from Morocco, and BEIA Consult International from Romania. In addition, KEDGE Business School from France and Kaanlar Gıda A.Ş. from Turkey are also among the partners.

The IPSUS Project aims to transform the proteins obtained from plants and seaweed into opportunities for improving food nutrition for people, by accepting the global food loss and 1.6 billion tons of wasted food annually as raw materials. In this context, six protein-rich foods that are important for the project partner countries were selected. Qualitative and quantitative upcycling opportunities for these foods throughout the food chain will be examined. New protein extraction methods will be tested, and the nutritional quality and food security, bioavailability and potential allergenicity of these proteins will be determined. The use of the obtained proteins in the formulation of meat and meat products and cheese alternatives will be investigated on a laboratory scale. According to the results, it was aimed to make improvements in alternative products, using less salt, sugar and fat and less food additives, compared to the currently consumed products. Thus, it was aimed to contribute to food security and improved nutrition thanks to Smart Food Innovation.

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