During her PhD, Julie Frost Dahl focused on processing plant proteins into structured networks similar to those found in popular foods like fibrous meats and stretchy mozzarella, using high moisture extrusion. She optimized analytical techniques to better measure these structures and minimized the need for trial-and-error-based research by integrating predictive tools using machine learning.

Key innovations included co-developing software to enhance the visualization of rheological data and improving methods for tracking protein hydration. Moreover, machine learning was incorporated to tackle challenges in food science, such as predicting the texture of foods made from less-refined, plant-based ingredients. By developing more efficient techniques, her work paves the way for high-protein plant-based foods with improved quality, making sustainable eating more accessible.

The PhD study was completed at the Department of food science, Faculty of Technical Sciences, Aarhus University.

This summary was prepared by the PhD student.

Time: Thursday, 5 December 2024 at 13:00
Place: Building 5910, room 214, Lecture Theatre Seminarroom, Department of Food Science, Aarhus University, Agro Food Park 48, 8200 Aarhus N
Title of PhD thesis: Measure, understand, and predict structure formation in plant-based anisotropic foods
Contact information: Julie Frost Dahl e-mail: jfd@food.au.dk, tel.: +45 22872732
Members of the assessment committee:
Professor Roland Kádár, Department of Industrial and Materials Science, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden
Director Michel Mellema PhD, Global Innovation Director Re-Imagine Protein IFF, The Netherlands
Professor Lotte Bach Larsen, Department of Food Science, Aarhus University, Denmark
Main supervisor:
Professor Milena Corredig, Department of Food Science, Aarhus University, Denmark
Language: The PhD dissertation will be defended in English

The defence is public.
The PhD thesis is available for reading at the Graduate School of Technical Sciences/GSTS, Ny Munkegade 120, building 1521, 8000 Aarhus C.