Howell Davies and Suzy Powell of Interface outline how the organisation works to connect business and academia, highlighting some examples of innovative food sector collaborations .

Interface was established in 2005 to bridge the gap between businesses and academics, bringing them together for collaborative research and development.

The organisation has connected over 3,000 businesses and organisations to academic partners, resulting in more than 2,200 collaborative projects, which have impacted the economy and society in positive ways.

In this article, we look at three of these collaborations in the food sector, which Interface supported through connections within universities and research institutes and by identifying funding opportunities, including a Knowledge Transfer Partnership.

Vegetable breads: opportunities and challenges

Despite concerted efforts, chronic diseases are increasingly affecting global populations, highlighting the need for innovative strategies for reversing trends. Diet plays a pivotal role in their incidence and it is now well established that fruit and vegetable consumption is associated with improved health. The resulting ‘5‐a‐Day’ recommendation is well known and acknowledged by the public, but still has poor uptake. The National Diet and Nutrition Survey (2009‐2012) shows that only 30% of the population in the UK meet 5‐a‐day recommendations. Tackling this issue is a significant challenge given that food choice is driven by preferences and socio‐economic circumstances, which are not easy to change. Using foods that consumers like to eat as vehicles for delivering key dietary constituents can be a realistic way of improving public health and reformulation plays an important role in facilitating this ‘health‐by‐stealth’ approach. The inclusion of vegetables into accepted platforms could offer convenient ways to increase consumption without major changes in lifestyle. This includes processed foods, which are a growing category and preferentially consumed by many^[ 1^] .

Bread is a widely consumed staple in the UK making it an ideal vehicle for nutrient delivery. Work by the University of Aberdeen has shown that adding vegetables to breads not only improved their nutrient composition but also conferred functional benefits through reducing lipid oxidation and improving shelf life, thus showing potential for clean‐label products^[ 2^] . Public engagement activities showed they were also well accepted, especially by children and parents. Consumers liked the taste of the breads, their concept and associated health benefits and feedback indicated a demand for speciality breads containing vegetables. Therefore, a collaborative proof‐of‐concept project funded by Interface Food and Drink between Macphie Ltd, J.G. Ross Bakers and the University of Aberdeen was initiated to develop commercially feasible vegetable breads for the UK market.

The work showed that commercially viable vegetable breads can be produced containing up to half a portion of vegetables per serving (100g).

A variety of vegetables were screened at the early stage for baking performance, appearance and taste, and this identified the most suitable variants for incorporation (carrot, beetroot, spinach). The project also assessed different sources of vegetables to identify the best forms for incorporation (freeze dried, air dried, pureed). Since vegetables typically contain over 90% water, using dehydrated forms ensured better process control and nutrient densities. Freeze dried vegetables had the highest nutrient density and prevalence due to milder drying conditions, and therefore were deemed the most suitable for producing breads. The work showed that commercially viable vegetable breads can be produced containing up to half a portion of vegetables per serving (100g). The supplemented breads had comparable physical properties to plain white bread, higher fibre, vitamin and mineral levels, and lower energy densities. Supplementation levels could be increased up to a portion of vegetables per serving, however this affected bread physical properties.

The goal was to develop a product that could carry a health message related to 5‐a‐day intakes. However, attaching a health message was not possible as current UK labelling guidelines did not support processed products containing fruits and vegetables (particularly in dried powder form). Current guidelines also do not cover freeze dried vegetable powders despite their superior nutritional properties. This is largely due to limited data on processing effects on nutrient stability and on freeze dried vegetable material. The project highlighted the need for research in these areas and for evidence to support policy improvements. Another identified challenge was weak supply chains for freeze dried vegetable material, which unlike fruit equivalents was difficult to source and expensive. Freeze dried vegetables have excellent potential as ingredients in food formulations but developing their supply chain is essential for commercial viability.

The project demonstrated the commercial potential for innovative health‐based products using vegetables. Although current UK guidelines do not allow 5‐a‐day claims, the study showed that supplemented breads had better nutrient profiles. Global trends show an increase in the popularity of vegetable breads, but they are yet to establish in the UK. The formulations developed in this project could be used to familiarise consumers with these novel products and as stepping stones for increasing vegetable consumption. The work also demonstrated the untapped potential of freeze‐dried vegetables as an ingredient in food formulations. Changing trends towards healthier eating and increased demand for related products indicate a timely market niche for such products with proven health advantages.

Project team: Viren Ranawana ¹ , Vassilios Raikos ¹ , Paul McKnight ² and Cameron Ross ³

1 The Rowett Institute, University of Aberdeen

2 Macphie Ltd, Glenbervie, Stonehaven

3 J. G. Ross (Bakers) Ltd., Inverurie

The intricacies of fudge making

Fudge is a sweet treat made of three common ingredients: milk, sugar and butter. Despite only having three ingredients, good fudge is not easy to make, as each ingredient itself shows complex behaviour. Milk is an emulsion of oil (fat) droplets in water, with the protein casein acting as the emulsifier to stabilise the droplets against aggregation. Butter is a suspension of water droplets either in solid or molten fat (depending on temperature), with small amounts of milk solids such as proteins and salt. Table sugar is sucrose, a disaccharide (‘double‐sugar’) molecule composed of two monosaccharides (‘single‐sugars’), glucose and fructose. Cooking fudge does not require many steps, but it demands precision and attention to detail. A good fudge is one that is firm to the point that it keeps its shape, soft enough to melt in the mouth, and, most of all, contains sugar crystals of just the right size.

The Ochil Fudge Pantry is a Scottish fudge brand known for its handmade traditional fudge and Scottish Tablet. The company has been collecting prizes ever since it was established in 2010 for its high quality and tasty product, it currently has 11 awards in a portfolio of 30 flavours. These butter‐rich fudges are slightly crumbly in texture and less sweet than many fudges because they have a lower‐than‐average proportion of sugar, and yet the product gives a full flavour when it melts in the mouth. The Ochil Fudge Pantry and Edinburgh Complex Fluids Partnership (ECFP) based at University of Edinburgh are working together, funded by a Scottish Funding Council Innovation Voucher grant, to gain a greater technical understanding of the company's product and processes (such as heat application during cooking) in order to solve product setting problems and help develop new and innovative variants.

To make a good fudge, there are two key steps that need to be properly controlled: the temperature reached while boiling the mixture and the final beating of the mixture. Temperature is crucial to make sure that (a) all the sugar melts and dissolves, (b) the moisture content is reduced to an ideal range of values and consequently that (c) the Maillard, or browning, reactions happen properly. These reactions help the protein and sugar to form a network giving solidity to the fudge as well as generating the characteristic brownish colour and flavour of fudge, and require the right degree of moisture.

The final stage of fudge manufacturing involves beating the mixture to promote sugar crystals formation. This step is crucial for the fudge's texture. During heating the sugar crystals dissolve and when the solution is cooled to supersaturation, sugar molecules are attracted to each other by intermolecular forces and come together to form crystal nuclei, upon which larger crystallites then grow. A constant beating at the right time promotes faster cooling and the formation of many small crystals rather than a few big ones, giving that characteristic smooth texture but with a hint of graininess so characteristic of good fudge (Figures 1 and 2).

Scottish Honeyberry Cooperative

A constant beating at the right time promotes faster cooling and the formation of many small crystals rather than a few big ones, giving that characteristic smooth texture but with a hint of graininess so characteristic of good fudge.

Through establishing deeper scientific knowledge of how product texture is developed and controlled, solutions will be provided to The Ochil Fudge Pantry to significantly increase product consistency and reduce waste, which then gives a firm basis upon which to innovate for the future.

Project team: Andreia F. Silva ¹ , Wilson Poon ¹ , Graeme Clark ²

1 Edinburgh Complex Fluids Partnership, The University of Edinburgh

2 The Ochil Fudge Pantry

Introducing a new berry

In 2015 a group of ambitious farmers from across Scotland decided to join together to create the Scottish Honeyberry Cooperative (SHBC). Their aim is to be the leaders of honeyberry production and agronomy in Scotland. To enable the Cooperative to move at a faster pace and have access to a range of scientific expertise, a collaboration was set up with The James Hutton Institute – a world‐renowned agricultural research facility, which is within walking distance of the main honeyberry farm! This collaboration is funded through an Innovate UK Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP), a UK wide programme enabling businesses to increase their competitiveness and productivity.

In addition to the technical aspects being explored under the KTP, SHBC and the James Hutton Institute conducted market research to explore new opportunities and markets for the honeyberry attracting funding from the Collaborative Innovation Fund, operated by Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Scottish Enterprise.

The marketing concept focused on obtaining consumer feedback via an online survey for health‐conscious UK shoppers with a household income over £45,000, who have purchased berries within the last month to six months. The specific audience captured the age ranges of 25 to 55+ and received a total of 1,014 respondents.

The survey used selected questions to determine the level of knowledge about and familiarity with the honeyberry, which scored a relatively low score of 2.9 on average out of 10. However, a promising 86.5% would buy honeyberries despite not tasting the berries and based solely on the information that had been provided (Figure 3). This positive response may be due to the fact that people are already convinced of the health benefits of berries.

A total of 724 members of the public across five different events (Figure 4) in the East of Scotland were involved in taste analysis of Scottish grown honeyberry, which was presented in a variety of ways. Information about the high levels of healthy compounds found in honeyberry, such as Vitamin C and other antioxidants, in comparison to other commonly consumed berries, surprised many individuals. Quality and compound analysis of Scottish grown honeyberries will be published later this year.

Overall the consumer response to honeyberry and honeyberry products was extremely positive. Across all events, the likeability was high receiving a score of 4 or more on average using a 1‐5 scale. This is an encouraging public response to a new berry that most of the participants had not heard of previously.

Why is the taste of honeyberry so appealing? The most common flavour descriptions in general for the honeyberry, in order of popularity were sweet, nice, sour, tart and tangy. There have been numerous studies to determine consumer acceptance using sensory analysis. They have highlighted that the ratio between sweetness and sourness (or sugars and acids) may be a critical factor influencing consumer acceptance. On the other hand, if health is an important factor or motive for the consumer, then it is possible that acceptance for sourness may be higher. Whatever the reason, the varieties that were presented in this study seemed to contain the correct balance of sweetness and sourness for Scottish taste buds!

This study has provided a good platform from which to develop further market research on sensory analysis and consumer acceptance. Understanding and improving flavour will help with varietal choice for cultivation of frozen/fresh and varieties for processing. Some consideration must be given to postharvest storage conditions and packaging type used for the berries, both of which may affect the quality and/or flavour therefore influencing customer acceptance. Further research is needed to explore these issues for future product development. The study has also generated a positive customer interest and improved education and knowledge of the honeyberry in Scotland.

Project team: Louise Gamble ¹ and Stewart Arbuckle ²

1 The James Hutton Institute, Dundee

2 The Scottish Honeyberry Co‐op Ltd

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连接行业和学术界进行创新

Howell Davies和Interface的Suzy Powell概述了该组织如何将企业与学术界联系起来，重点介绍了一些创新性食品部门合作的例子。

Interface成立于2005年，旨在弥合企业与学术界之间的鸿沟，将他们聚集在一起进行协作研发。

该组织已将3,000多个企业和组织与学术合作伙伴联系起来，产生了2,200多个协作项目，这些项目以积极的方式影响了经济和社会。

在本文中，我们着眼于食品领域中的三个合作，Interface通过大学和研究机构之间的联系以及确定资金机会（包括知识转移合作伙伴关系）来提供支持。

蔬菜面包：机遇与挑战

尽管作出了共同努力，慢性病正日益影响着全球人口，这凸显了为扭转趋势而需要创新战略的必要性。饮食在它们的发病率中起着举足轻重的作用，现在已经确定，食用水果和蔬菜可以改善健康状况。由此产生的“每天五天”建议已为公众所熟知并得到认可，但吸收率仍然很低。全国饮食与营养调查（2009-2012）显示，英国只有30％的人口符合每天5天的建议。鉴于粮食选择是由不容易改变的偏好和社会经济环境驱动的，因此解决这一问题是一项重大挑战。使用消费者喜欢吃的食物作为传递关键饮食成分的媒介可以是改善公共卫生的现实方法，而重新配方在促进这种“隐身健康”方法中起着重要作用。将蔬菜纳入公认的平台可以提供便利的方式来增加消费，而无需改变生活方式。其中包括加工食品，加工食品是一种正在增长的类别，被许多人优先食用^[ 1 ^]。

面包是英国广泛使用的主食，使其成为营养输送的理想工具。阿伯丁大学的工作表明，在面包中添加蔬菜不仅可以改善面包的营养成分，而且还可以通过减少脂质氧化和延长保质期来提供功能性好处，从而显示出清洁标签产品的潜力^[ 2 ^]。公众参与活动表明，他们也受到了特别是孩子和父母的欢迎。消费者喜欢面包的味道，其概念以及相关的健康益处，反馈表明对含有蔬菜的特种面包的需求。因此，由麦菲菲有限公司，JG罗斯·贝克斯和阿伯丁大学之间的接口食品和饮料联合资助的概念验证合作项目已经启动，目的是为英国市场开发商业上可行的蔬菜面包。

这项工作表明，可以生产出商业上可行的蔬菜面包，每份最多含一半的蔬菜（100克）。

早期对各种蔬菜进行了烘烤性能，外观和口味的筛选，从而确定了最合适的蔬菜变种（胡萝卜，甜菜根，菠菜）。该项目还评估了不同的蔬菜来源，以确定最佳的混合形式（冷冻干燥，风干，果泥）。由于蔬菜通常含有90％以上的水分，因此使用脱水形式可以确保更好的过程控制和营养素密度。冷冻干燥的蔬菜由于温和的干燥条件而具有最高的营养密度和盛行率，因此被认为最适合生产面包。这项工作表明，可以生产出商业上可行的蔬菜面包，每份最多含一半的蔬菜（100克）。补充面包的物理性能与普通白面包相当，较高的纤维，维生素和矿物质含量以及较低的能量密度。每份食物的补充水平最多可以增加一部分蔬菜，但这会影响面包的物理性能。

目的是开发一种产品，该产品可以传达与每天摄入5次有关的健康信息。但是，由于当前的英国标签指南不支持包含水果和蔬菜（特别是干粉形式）的加工产品，因此无法附加健康信息。尽管它们具有优越的营养特性，但当前的指南也未涵盖冷冻干燥的蔬菜粉。这主要是由于有关营养成分稳定性和冷冻干燥蔬菜原料的加工数据有限。该项目强调需要在这些领域进行研究，并需要证据来支持政策的改进。另一个已确认的挑战是冷冻干燥蔬菜原料的供应链薄弱，这与水果等价物不同，难以采购且价格昂贵。

该项目展示了使用蔬菜创新的基于健康的产品的商业潜力。尽管当前的英国指南不允许每天进行5天声称，但研究表明，补充面包的营养成分更好。全球趋势表明，蔬菜面包的普及程度有所提高，但尚未在英国确立。该项目开发的配方可用于使消费者熟悉这些新产品，并作为增加蔬菜消费的垫脚石。这项工作还证明了冷冻干燥蔬菜作为食品配方成分的潜力尚未开发。朝着更健康饮食的趋势变化和对相关产品的需求增加，表明具有经证实的健康优势的此类产品适时进入了市场。

项目团队：Viren Ranawana ¹，Vassilios Raikos ¹，Paul McKnight ² 和Cameron Ross ³

1阿伯丁大学罗威研究所

2 Macphie Ltd，格伦伯维，斯通黑文

3 JG Ross（Bakers）Ltd.，Inverurie

软糖制作的复杂性

软糖是一种由三种常见成分制成的甜食：牛奶，糖和黄油。尽管仅包含三种成分，但要制造出良好的软糖并不容易，因为每种成分本身都表现出复杂的行为。牛奶是油（脂肪）小滴在水中的乳液，酪蛋白蛋白充当乳化剂以稳定小滴防止聚集。黄油是水滴在固体或熔融脂肪中的悬浮液（取决于温度），以及少量的牛奶固体，例如蛋白质和盐。食用糖是蔗糖，是由两个单糖（“单糖”），葡萄糖和果糖组成的双糖（“双糖”）分子。烹饪软糖不需要很多步骤，但是需要精确和注重细节。好的软糖要坚硬到可以保持其形状，足够柔软以在口中融化的程度，并且

Ochil软糖食品储藏室是苏格兰软糖品牌，以其手工制作的传统软糖和苏格兰平板电脑而闻名。自2010年成立以来，该公司就一直以其高质量和美味的产品而收集奖项，目前在30种口味的产品组合中获得11个奖项。这些富含黄油的软糖的质地略微易碎，比许多软糖的甜度低，这是因为它们的糖分低于平均水平，但是当产品在口中融化时，它却能提供完整的风味。爱丁堡大学的Ochil Fudge Pantry和爱丁堡复杂流体合作伙伴（ECFP）正在合作，由苏格兰资助委员会创新代金券资助，以加深对公司的技术了解

为了产生良好的软糖，需要适当控制两个关键步骤：煮沸混合物时达到的温度以及混合物的最终搅拌。温度对于确保（a）所有糖类融化和溶解，（b）水分含量降低到理想的数值范围以及因此（c）美拉德或褐变反应正确发生至关重要。这些反应有助于蛋白质和糖形成网状结构，使软糖具有坚固性，并产生特征性的褐色和软糖味，并需要适当程度的水分。

软糖制造的最后阶段包括将混合物打浆以促进糖晶体的形成。这一步对于软糖的质地至关重要。在加热期间，糖晶体溶解，并且当溶液冷却至过饱和时，糖分子通过分子间力相互吸引并聚集在一起形成晶核，然后在该晶核上生长较大的微晶。在适当的时间进行持续的打浆可加快冷却速度，并形成许多小晶体，而不是几个大晶体，从而赋予其特征平滑的纹理，但具有颗粒感，因此具有良好的软糖特性（图1和2）。

苏格兰霍尼伯里合作社

在适当的时间进行持续的打浆会加快冷却速度，并形成许多小晶体，而不是一些大晶体，从而赋予其特征平滑的纹理，但具有颗粒感，因此具有良好的软糖特性。

通过建立关于如何开发和控制产品质地的更深入的科学知识，将为Ochil Fudge Pantry提供解决方案，以显着提高产品的一致性并减少浪费，从而为未来的创新奠定坚实的基础。

项目团队：Andreia F. Silva ¹，Wilson Poon ¹，Graeme Clark ²

1爱丁堡大学爱丁堡复杂流体合作组织

2 Ochil软糖厨房

推出新浆果

2015年，一群来自苏格兰各地的雄心勃勃的农民决定共同创建苏格兰霍尼伯里合作社（SHBC）。他们的目标是成为苏格兰蜂蜜浆果生产和农艺学的领导者。为了使合作社能够以更快的速度发展并获得一系列科学专业知识，与世界著名的农业研究机构詹姆斯·赫顿研究所（James Hutton Institute）建立了合作关系，该研究所距离主要的蜜果园仅几步之遥！这项合作由英国创新计划（KTP）资助，该计划是一项英国范围的计划，使企业能够提高竞争力和生产力。

除了在KTP下探讨的技术方面之外，SHBC和James Hutton Institute进行了市场研究，以探索由Highlands and Islands Enterprise和Scottish Enterprise运作的合作创新基金吸引的蜜柚的新机会和市场。

营销理念的重点是通过在线调查获得对健康意识敏锐的英国购物者的反馈，这些消费者的家庭收入超过45,000英镑，他们在过去一个月至六个月内购买了浆果。特定受众群体的年龄介于25至55岁以上，共收到1,014位受访者。

该调查使用选定的问题来确定对Honeyberry的知识水平和熟悉程度，在10个满分中，其平均得分为2.9分，相对较低。但是，有希望的86.5％的人即使不品尝浆果也可以购买Honeyberries，并且仅基于提供的信息（图3）。这种积极的反应可能是由于人们已经相信浆果对健康的益处。

在苏格兰东部的五个不同事件中（图4），共有724名公众成员参与了苏格兰生长的Honeyberry的口味分析，并以多种方式进行了展示。与其他常用浆果相比，有关蜂蜜浆果中发现的高含量健康化合物（例如维生素C和其他抗氧化剂）的信息令很多人感到惊讶。苏格兰生长的蜜橘的质量和成分分析将于今年晚些时候发布。

总体而言，消费者对Honeyberry和Honeyberry产品的反应非常积极。在所有事件中，使用1–5量表平均获得4分或以上的评分，其可喜度很高。这是一个令人鼓舞的公众对新浆果的反应，大多数参与者以前都没有听说过。

为何蜂蜜的味道如此诱人？一般而言，对于蜂蜜来说，最常见的风味描述是甜味，好味，酸味，酸味和浓郁感。有许多研究使用感官分析来确定消费者的接受程度。他们强调，甜味和酸味（或糖和酸）之间的比例可能是影响消费者认可度的关键因素。另一方面，如果健康是消费者的重要因素或动机，那么对酸味的接受度可能会更高。不管是什么原因，本研究提出的品种似乎都具有苏格兰味蕾在甜味和酸味之间的正确平衡！

这项研究提供了一个良好的平台，从该平台可以进一步发展有关感官分析和消费者接受度的市场研究。了解和改善风味将有助于选择冷冻/新鲜和加工品种的品种。必须考虑浆果采后的贮藏条件和包装类型，这两者都可能影响质量和/或风味，从而影响客户的接受度。需要进一步的研究来探索这些问题，以便将来进行产品开发。这项研究还引起了客户的积极兴趣，并提高了苏格兰honeyberry的教育和知识。

项目团队：Louise Gamble ¹ 和Stewart Arbuckle ²

1邓迪詹姆斯·赫顿学院

2苏格兰Honeyberry合作社有限公司