The Green Development and Demonstration Programme was launched with the aim of encouraging a protein shift in Denmark. Over 600 projects have been funded through the programme so far. For maximum impact, collaboration is required with partners throughout the food chain, in farming, higher education, food companies, culinary colleges, large wholesalers and catering companies.

Iben Lykke Petersen, associate professor at the Department of Food Science at the University of Copenhagen is deeply involved in the transition. “I think almost everyone who conducts research here is working on a project that is part of the green transition,” she says. The department’s mission is to be a vital element of work towards a more sustainable food chain and an important knowledge broker regarding alternative protein sources. She has been involved in several recent projects that have resulted in new plantbased and protein-rich products.

One project that started this year aims to get more legumes on the dinner table by expanding Denmark’s cultivation, creating tasty products and inspiring the market to use them.

One project, Dansk BÆlg, which started this year and in which she is involved, aims to get more legumes on the dinner table by expanding Denmark’s cultivation, creating tasty products and inspiring the market to use them. “In another project, Tempeh, which started in 2021 and ends this year, a company called Contempehrary developed a new type of tempeh. This is traditionally made from fermented soya, but they have replaced this with fermented beans from Denmark. My contribution has been to investigate how well the body can break down and absorb the proteins in food during digestion.

...investigate how well the body can break down and absorb the proteins in food during digestion.

We have investigated this in vitro by simulating what happens in the stomach and intestine.” University College Absalon then worked on the sensory aspects to guarantee the quality of the product’s taste and structure. Other partners have found ways to package it, and a recipe bank has been created to inspire caterers and consumers to use the new tempeh. Another project that Lykke Petersen was involved with focused on improving techniques and processes for increased efficiency and quality in the production of protein-rich plant-based products. Lykke Petersen’s task was to investigate the product’s amino acid composition and its protein quality, as well as how to maximise protein uptake once it has passed through the digestive system. “This is important for ensuring that vegans and other people on a plant only diet get the necessary amount of protein and amino acids”, she concludes.

Text and photo: Ingar Nilsson