Scientist studies use of bacteria to improve food taste
enzymes can help improve the taste of food, giving processors a way
of enhancing the flavour and nutrition of their products.
Gaenzle was given a grant this week by the University of Alberta in Canada to further his research. He is also developing a cost-effectivetechniques for food preservation that will deliver safer and better-tasting foods, the university stated in a press release.
He will study whether the process will improve the taste of cheese, bread, milk and canned pasta by injecting them with various bacteria
On his web site Gaenzle says he will also study lactic acid bacteria as a food preservation agent. If the research pays off the process could be used as an alternative to heat treatment methods,which generally change taste and texture characteristics of a food.
"The research on lactic acid bacteria aims to establish the relationship between the genetic characteristics of strains, their metabolic properties, and their performance as probioticcultures or as starter cultures in food fermentations," he said. "The research on non-thermal preservation processes aims to characterize the response of pathogenic and food-spoilingbacteria to high pressure on a biochemical and genetical level in order to enable minimal processing of foods by high pressure processes."
Gaenzle is also testing whether bacteria could help boost the immune system if it is added to foods, according to a report by the Edmonton Journal. A second project will examine what makes starchdigest slower in the body.
