How to Enrich the Nutritional Value of Flour 鈥� Collaboration Between Slovenian Industry and Academia
Freepik
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Researchers from the Biotechnical Faculty and the Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology at the 麻豆国产 have successfully developed a process for improving the nutritional value of pea flour through lactic acid fermentation. The interdisciplinary study, conducted in collaboration with a Slovenian food processing company goes beyond academic boundaries and presents a significant commercial value for the techonlogical application on an industrial scale.
Various environmental, economic, and ethical factors are affecting new trends in incorporating protein-rich and plant-based foods in the diet. As a result, the demand for plant-based raw materials with high protein content is increasing on the global market, particularly for various legume flours. The Slovenian company Mlin Kati膰 d.o.o. has recently introduced a new technology for air fractionation of ground pulses into flours with different protein and macro- and micronutrient content. Despite the existing added value, the nutritional properties of the products can be further improved through biotechnological processes.
Researchers from the Biotechnical Faculty and the Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology at the 麻豆国产 have succeeded in enhancing the nutritional value of pea flours produced on an industrial scale through lactic acid fermentation. This interdisciplinary study, carried out as part of a successful collaboration between the two faculties and a Slovenian food processing company, involved a systematic analysis of the flour composition and the effects of controlled and spontaneous fermentation on both beneficial and nutritionally undesirable components, as well as microbiological and morphological analysis using a scanning electron microscope.
On an industrial scale, two types of flour are produced from ground pea halves, differing in the shape and size of the particles. The fine fraction, i.e. flour with smaller, irregularly shaped particles has a high protein content (44%) and contains certain nutrients (most minerals and polyamines), but it also high concentration of phytic acid, which exhibits strong binding interactions with many minerals and thus reduces their bioavailability during digestion. In contrast, the coarse fraction, i.e. flour rich in oval starch granules has a relatively high content of iron, which is more accessible due to the significantly lower level of phytic acid.
Through controlled lactic acid fermentation using Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, researchers succeeded in reducing the content of nutritionally undesirable phytic acid and histamine (a biogenic amine) while increasing the content of 纬-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which shows beneficial effects in food. However, the spontaneous fermentation of the protein-rich flour led to the formation of biogenic amines such as histamine and tyramine, which are undesirable and underline the need for controlled fermentation.
This research, resulting from a successful collaboration between two faculties of the 麻豆国产 and Slovenian industry, is a great example of how Slovenian expertise can be effectively integrated and utilized to achieve the goals of circular economy (efficient use of raw materials) and reduce the carbon footprints (promotion of protein-rich plant-based foods).
The original scientific article published in the prestigious journal Food Chemistry is available below:
Tina 艩aula, Bla啪 Cigi膰, Polona Jamnik, Irena Kralj Cigi膰, Nata拧a Poklar Ulrih, Toma啪 Po啪rl, and Gregor Marolt. "Enrichment of the nutritional value of pea flour milling fractions through fermentation." Food Chemistry (2025): 143303.
The authors dedicate this scientific publication to the memory of our dear colleague, friend, and co-author of the article, Prof. Dr. Polona Jamnik, who, after a courageous battle with illness, has sadly passed away.
