During her PhD studies, Wanxiang Guo explored the molecular and supramolecular transformations of wheat endosperm biopolymers during bread-making and how these changes can be harnessed to repurpose stale white bread into flexible films and (meso-)porous materials. Bread waste is one of the top food categories that contributes to great environmental footprint and economic loss and, in this thesis, Wanxiang elevated the interest of bread waste as something of higher value and under less resource-demanding processes than fermentable sugars: as building blocks of future biomaterials. Further facile approaches such as an enzymatic gluten depletion and mechanical fractionation were also proposed to enhance materials properties.

This study is anticipated to set precedents for future research on combining stale bread with other polymers to replicate the performance of non-biodegradable packaging materials, maximizing the value of bread waste and providing more solutions for sustainable packaging.

The PhD study was completed at Department of Food Science, Faculty of Technical Sciences, Aarhus University.

This summary was prepared by the PhD student.

Time: Friday, 13 December 2024, at 12:30
Place: Room 5910-214, Department of Food Science, Aarhus University, Agro Food Park 48, 8200, Aarhus
Title of PhD thesis: Structure and interactions of wheat biopolymers during bread-making: Implications to upcycle bread waste into flexible packaging and porous materials
Contact information: Wanxiang Guo, e-mail: wanxiang@food.au.dk, tel.: +45 50367889
Members of the assessment committee:
Professor Pedro E. D. Augusto, CentraleSupélec, Université Paris-Saclay, France
Associate Professor, Alessandra Marti, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences, University of Milan, Italy
Professor Carl-Otto Ottosen (Chair), Department of Food Science, Aarhus University, Denmark
Main supervisor:
Associate Professor, Mario Martinez Martinez, 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.