Potato protein – origin of off-flavours

Applicants are invited for a PhD fellowship/scholarship at Graduate School of Technical Sciences, Aarhus University, Denmark, within the Food Science programme. The position is available from 01 January 2025 or later. You can submit your application via the link under 'how to apply'.

Title
Potato protein – origin of off-flavours

Research area and project description
Background: The protein-rich side-stream from potato starch production yearly amounts to 100 ktons in EU. The off-flavor formation in the potato protein side stream has different origine and thus by nature they are highly diverse. Known contributing factors include secondary plant metabolites e.g. triglycoalkaloids and products formed by indigenous enzyme activities. Among enzyme-induced changes, proteolytic enzymes give rise to bitter peptides, redox enzymes e.g. polyphenol oxidase and peroxidase activity result in browning reaction while lipoxygenase activity results in the generation of secondary lipid oxidation products.

Your primary focus will be conducting research to create fundamental understanding to convert the unutilized, protein-rich plant side-streams into a valuable food ingredient. We will specifically target identification of off-flavor molecules found in the high-quality protein side-streams from potato starch production—compounds that currently prevent these proteins from being used in food. Using high resolution mass spectrometry (LC- and GC-MS), we will characterize these unknown off-flavor molecules to fully understand their origine. The focus will be to understand the chemistry of the matrix and chemistry taking place during processing.

The REFINES project is funded by the Plant2Food (NNF) program and is a collaboration between Aarhus University (Department of Food Science, Center for Circular Bioeconomy), DTU (Bioengineering – Section for Synthetic biology) and, alongside Europe's two largest potato starch producers, KMC (Denmark) and Avebe (Netherlands). This unique collaboration provides access to exclusive biological materials and detailed process information, allowing the consortium to develop a deep understanding of the off-flavors and pioneer new, sustainable solutions.

At AU-FOOD you will join the group of Professor Trine Kastrup Dalsgaard focusing on alternative proteins and natural colorants. Trine Kastrup Dalsgaard – Publikation — Aarhus Universitet

Project description
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Qualifications and specific competences
Applicants to the PhD position must have a relevant Master’s degree (120 ECTS) within food chemistry, molecular biology or similar. Interest in analytical work and data processing including programing is essential and experience within mass spectrometry and experience in R and Phyton is consider a plus.

Place of employment and place of work
The place of employment is Aarhus University, and the place of work is Department of Food Science, Food Chemistry, Agro Food Park 48, 8200 Aarhus N., Denmark.

Contacts
Applicants seeking further information are invited to contact:

• Trine Kastrup Dalsgaard, [email protected] (main supervisor)

How to apply
Please follow this link to submit your application.

Application deadline is 11 November 2024 at 23:59 CET.

Preferred starting date is 01 January 2024.

For information about application requirements and mandatory attachments, please see our application guide.

Please note:

• Only documents received prior to the application deadline will be evaluated. Thus, documents sent after deadline will not be taken into account.
• The programme committee may request further information or invite the applicant to attend an interview.
• Shortlisting will be used, which means that the evaluation committee only will evaluate the most relevant applications.

Aarhus University’s ambition is to be an attractive and inspiring workplace for all and to foster a culture in which each individual has opportunities to thrive, achieve and develop. We view equality and diversity as assets, and we welcome all applicants. All interested candidates are encouraged to apply, regardless of their personal background. Salary and terms of employment are in accordance with applicable collective agreement.