Articles on food

Common grass could become a new contribution to the energy transition – and a new source of income for Swedish farmers. Lantmännen is well on its way to successfully extracting protein for pigs and poultry from forage crops.  "This could generate profitability for our farmers and make production more sustainable. And we will become less dependent on products produced far away. We are killing several birds with one stone," says Pär-Johan Lööf, R&D Manager Agri at Lantmännen. 

Sweden's food supply system has been designed for efficiency, not crisis management. However, climate change, pandemics and geopolitical unrest have exposed the fragility of the system. It is not only a question of what we will eat if the worst happens, but also of whether we are prepared to deal with it.

Fermentation is more than just trendy kombucha and kimchi – the ancient preservation method is being used to develop alternative protein sources. But how does it work? And what are the challenges?

The vast majority of wild berries in Sweden are left unpicked, and of those that are, most are picked by foreign workers linked to large wholesalers. After picking, a large proportion of the berries are sent out of the country for processing. The municipality of Bjurholm wanted to try a new approach. Is it possible to combine the experience of short, local value chains with the economies of scale of long value chains for berries?

An everyday food like bouillon can help improve public health in countries where many people lack access to a nutritious diet. This is the conclusion of a recent international research project that has developed a fortified bouillon cube – designed to deliver essential vitamins and minerals despite harsh storage conditions.

Innovative foods can make a difference to both the climate and health - but only if they are actually chosen and eaten. In a facility where new ingredients are processed into products such as sausages, mince and burgers, researchers are using advanced analytical methods and a taste-testing panel to pave the way for success at consumer level.

.Two major global crises in a short space of time. The coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine have highlighted the need for greater food security. This is to ensure that we can all put food on the table even when global transport chains are disrupted. And striving for greater self-sufficiency can bring new business even in normal times.

It's a downward spiral that needs to be broken: climate change is affecting the availability of food resources, while the world's population is growing. Our eating habits contribute to new greenhouse gas emissions that fuel climate change. Does the solution lie in alternative foods?

Companies that experiment and collaborate with industry peers to benefit from the latest research will get a head start on the industrial transition. The Bioeconomy research programme is the arena where this happens.

Can spent yeast from beer brewing be used to replace fossil-based raw material in adhesives? This is being investigated in the Reflows project, which uses waste yeast from breweries to produce adhesives adapted for wood and paper applications in a circular way.

To be able to reliably characterize nanostructured materials, including magnetic nanoparticles (MNP), is crucial for standardizing MNP systems and the application of specific analysis methods. The DynoMag system, developed at the RISE Magnetic Sensor Systems Lab in Gothenburg, offers a reliable and integrated magnetic measurement system for biodetection using MNPs and rheological measurements.

Eat less meat and fill your plate with more seafood. It's good for the climate - most of the time, anyway. But for business owners and consumers to make more sustainable choices, better knowledge of raw materials and production methods is needed at all levels."Starting to ask questions can be a virtuous circle of increased knowledge. Don't be afraid to ask your suppliers," says Friederike Ziegler, a researcher at RISE.

The Swedish Fish Industry Association needed more meat on its bones to explain the state of knowledge and answer burning questions. They found the answer in independent expertise. - All industries benefit from moving from opinion-based to fact-based discussions, says chairman Krishan Kent. 

Up to a third of all the world’s food is discarded. Often completely unnecessarily. Although households are responsible for most food waste, there is much that can be done upstream to reduce post-consumer food waste.   “It’s a major problem that no one can solve alone,” says Maria Nehme O'Neill at RISE. 

With better access to new knowledge, farmers could increase their innovation capacity, profitability, and competitiveness. A bridge must therefore exist to close the gap between research and Swedish livestock producers. And this is the aim of the Livestock Production knowledge hub. 

They want to save the oceans with vegan seafood. However, when the Swedish company Hooked Foods AB decided to develop a salmon-like product, they ran into problems. That was until they turned to RISE for their equipment, expert knowledge and independent advice.