Public Funding for Premier Foods PLC

Our project aims to enhance food quality and nutrition, improve food safety, promote sustainability, and boost energy efficiency in food processing techniques through the development and application of an innovative Continuous Flow Ohmic Heater (CFOH) equipped with cutting-edge process controls The enhanced CFOH system will incorporate additional heat treatment capabilities, making it applicable across various food processing segments. By addressing the challenges faced by the food industry, such as uneven heating, reduced food quality through over-processing, energy inefficiencies, and potential negative environmental impacts, this innovative technology is poised to transform conventional heating and processing methods. The project is a collaborative effort between industrial and academic partners, combining their expertise to jointly develop a scalable, advanced, and energy-efficient heating solution. The interdisciplinary approach will bridge the gap between research and practical applications, accelerating the technology's progress toward an industrial operational environment within the food manufacturing industry. The project will be executed in six work packages (WPs), each addressing a crucial aspect of the development process. WP1 focuses on leadership and project management, ensuring the project's smooth execution and timely completion. WP2 involves enhancing and further developing the existing CFOH technology. WP3 is dedicated to the validation and optimisation of the enhanced CFOH system. In WP4, the development of the advanced intelligent control system takes place.WP5 scales up at an R&D facility and evaluates the improved food quality achieved by the enhanced CFOH, while WP6 addresses the evaluation and exploitation of the technology, promoting its adoption across the food industry. The innovation of this project lies in the enhancement of the current CFOH technology by incorporating advanced process controls including the use of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, which ensure consistent heating and optimal food quality. Additionally, the advanced model-based process controls will provide optimal process control, further improving food quality and safety. The successful implementation of the enhanced CFOH system will have far-reaching implications for the food industry. It will not only improve food quality and safety but also promote sustainability and energy efficiency. This technology has the potential to create new business opportunities, secure jobs, and contribute to the UK's energy security. By providing a significant return on investment for the IUK funding requested, this project will deliver substantial benefits to both the industry and the environment. In summary, this project represents a significant step forward in improving food quality and nutrition through sustainable and energy-efficient food processing.

Obesity is a major health challenge facing the UK. The main factors are a combination of diet and lifestyle. There is a wealth of evidence to show that consumers will not choose healthier foods and drinks that have inferior taste and mouthfeel to the less healthy equivalent. Thus delivering less energy dense products with the same taste and flavour that consumers expect, along with lifestyle changes help reduce incidence of obesity. Food emulsions and foams in which the fat is mixed with air or water to form small droplets or bubbles are a way of reducing the fat content but maintaining the mouthfeel. Ingredients that allow smaller stable foams and emulsions will help reduce the fat content further. Some modified proteins have been shown to be highly effective in both stabilising oil in water emulsions and producing highly stable foams. This project will evaluate a range of commonly available proteins that have been modified, in a controlled way to improve their emulsifying and water binding properties in oil/water emulsions delivering potential fat replacement. The modified proteins will be screened for the functional properties, evaluated in product formulations and tested for their sensory delivery in model products. The most promising candidates will be incorporated into low fat , clean label, aerated foods as a way of reducing the fat content whilst maintaining the product eat experience.