Alternative Proteins
Research on alternative proteins aims to develop innovative, sustainable and healthy protein sources that are not derived from animals. These include plant, microbial and lab-grown options. Challenges include optimizing the processing steps from raw material to final product, as well as scaling production efficiently on a large scale. Researchers from interdisciplinary fields develop and optimize healthy foods along the entire value chain - from farm to fork.
Key Research Thrusts
- Inhomogeneous raw materials and limited nutrient supply affect plant protein production
- Combinable functional units as building blocks for food
- Tailored chemical methods and self-assembling strategies
- Development and improvement of novel food textures, flavors and appearance
- Scale-up in all protein-based food sectors
- Safe and healthy nutrition through alternative proteins
- Consumer acceptance and education about alternative proteins
- Socioeconomic and environmental assessments of the alternative protein industry
Research Topics
Challenges in the research and development of alternative proteins occur on a small and industrial scale. These are addressed along the entire value chain from agricultural production and processing to the market and the consumer.
Resources, Raw Materials and Building Blocks
![Plant food cultivation Image: unsplash.com/ meriç tuna](/fileadmin/_processed_/3/e/csm_resources-raw-materials-card_94bbbd4b0c.webp)
- CellAg – Producing animal products directly from cells instead of animals (Prof. Henkel)
- Rapeseed as an indigenous source of high quality protein for human nutrition (Prof. Dawid)
- Sustainable Protein Ingredients (Prof. Weisz)
Processing and Assembly on Small and Industrial Scale
![Food Process Engineering Image: iStockphoto.com/ dusanpetkovic](/fileadmin/_processed_/7/6/csm_processing-assembly-card_75eb3b750f.webp)
- Provide – Protein and biomolecules sources in a circular food system (Prof. Rychlik)
- Dry processing of plant proteins (Prof. Först)
- Aerogels from plant proteins (Prof. Kulozik)
- Protein functionalization for fat reduction in foods (Prof. Kulozik)
- PRO-SUPER – Fungal Production Systems Utilizing pectin-rich agricultural Residues (Prof. Benz)
Sensory and Formulation for Healthy Nutrition
![Alternative proteins: pleasure without compromise Image: unsplash.com/ Eiliv Aceron](/fileadmin/_processed_/d/a/csm_sensory-formulation-card_8035825139.webp)
- Off-taste/off-flavor of protein isolates (Prof. Dawid)
- Plant stress and flavor (Prof. Dawid)
- Sensomics-Assisted Aroma Decoding of Pea Protein Isolates (Prof. Dawid)
- Plant-based food: Bridging the gap of new proteins and FLAVOURsome (Prof. Dawid)
Data Science, Marketing and Environmental Impact
![Promising market of alternative proteins Image: unsplash.com/ ThisisEngineering RAEng](/fileadmin/_processed_/e/7/csm_data-science-marketing-card_8ca2e6754f.webp)
- TriboTec – Protein enrichment and fractionation of side-streams (Prof. Först)
- DiSPBiotech – Morphology Modelling of aggregating filamentous fungi (Prof. Briesen)
- Model-based decision support for the design of plant-based meat alternatives (Prof. Briesen)
- REIF – Ressource-efficient, economic and intelligent food chain (Prof. Becker)
Name | Title | Professorship / Chair |
---|---|---|
Marius Henkel | Prof. Dr.-Ing. | |
Mirjana Minceva | Prof. Dr. | |
Stephen Schrettl | Prof. Dr. | |
Jutta Roosen | Prof. Dr. | |
Roman Werner | Dr. | |
Thomas Becker | Prof. Dr.-Ing. | |
Corinna Dawid | Prof. Dr. | |
Petra Först | Prof. Dr.-Ing. | |
Ute Weisz | Prof. Dr. | Plant proteins and Nutrition |
Dominik Grimm | Prof. Dr. | |
Michael Rychlik | Prof. Dr. | |
Sonja Berensmeier | Prof. Dr. | |
J. Philipp Benz | Prof. Dr. | |
Heiko Briesen | Prof. Dr. | |
Thomas Brück | Prof. Dr. | |
Bastian Blombach | Prof. Dr. | |
Volker Sieber | Prof. Dr. | |
Michael Zavrel | Prof. Dr.-Ing. | |
Daniel Cremers | Prof. Dr. | |
Markus List | Prof. Dr. | |
Bernhard Kuester | Prof. Dr. | |
Cathleen Zeymer | Prof. Dr. | |
Luisa Menapace | Prof., Ph.D. | |
Claudia Doblinger | Prof. Dr. | |
Dirk Haller | Prof. Dr. | |
Veronika Somoza | Prof. Dr. | |
Martina Gastl | Dr. -Ing. | |
Matthias Hebrok | Prof. Dr. | |
Nikolaus Adams | Prof. Dr.-Ing. | |
Senthold Asseng | Prof. Dr. | |
Petra Mela | Prof. Dr. | |
Ruth Müller | Prof. Dr. | |
Sebastian M. Pfotenhauer | Prof. Dr. |
Alternative Proteins for a Sustainable Future
Research on alternative proteins at TUM is driving advances in food technology. This enables a more environmentally friendly food system that can meet the growing demand for protein without increasing the environmental impact of agriculture.
Prospects for students in the alternate protein source field
![Interview with Prof. Henkel](/fileadmin/_processed_/4/3/csm_alternative-proteine-marius-henkel_5b0d950dac.webp)
Prof. Marius Henkel believes that it is a good time for young scientists who want to gain a foothold in this field - and not just because of the research area he is currently setting up.
Continue interview
Future-oriented subject selection - Agrosystem Sciences
![Master's degree in Agrosystem Sciences](/fileadmin/_processed_/b/d/csm_forschung-einrichtungen-card_c4138bd978.webp)
In the state-of-the-art orientation of the Master's program "Agrosystem Sciences", the topics of digitalization, sustainability and resource conservation have gained in importance.
View article
Making sustainable food consumption easy
![Interview with Prof. Roosen](/fileadmin/_processed_/6/b/csm_eu-report-jutta-roosen_8e0c704b67.webp)
Prof. Jutta Roosen about consulting for the EU: How European food consumption can become healthier and more sustainable has been summarized by scientists.
Interview on EU Report
Food of the future: Meat from the laboratory
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