Katarzyna Polanowska

I am currently a PhD student and the research assistant at the Poznan University of Life Sciences in the Institute of Food Technology of Plant Origin, Poland. The main area of my research interest is food processing and its influence on biologically active food components. I am especially interested in how different fermentation techniques can be used as tools to improve the functional properties of plant foods.  

At present, I am working with the oriental fermentation technique called tempeh, which involves the food grade fungi Rhizopus oligosporus. This kind of fermentation is proved to improve the nutritional properties of beans e.g. faba bean. The faba bean contains pyrimidine glycosides commonly called vicine and convicine which are responsible for the genetic disease, favism, which in humans produces haemolytic anaemia. During fermentation, enzymatic hydrolysis occurs, producing aglycone forms. These are unstable and thus reduce the potential toxicity of the faba bean. 

Doing a transnational access visit through BRISK2 to the National Laboratory of Energy and Geology (LNEG) in Lisbon gave me the opportunity to test the effectiveness of employing CO2 in the reduction of pyrimidine glycosides in faba beans.  

During the two-week stay, I conducted a number of experiments involving different configurations of reactions. Powdered faba beans were processed with water in stainless steel 600 mL reactor (series 4560, Parr Instruments Company, Moline, Illinois, USA). The controlled parameters were CO2 pressure (0-50 bar), time (5-15 min) and the temperature was (40-60 °C). After the reaction, the supernatant was collected and residue was lyophilised. The vicine content was monitored in the pellet as well as in the supernatant. The analyses were performed using capillary electrophoresis and high performance liquid chromatography equipped with diode array detector.  

I would like thank to the BRISK2 project for this interdisciplinary cooperation and the opportunity to gain the knowledge about biomass valorisation and biorefinery concepts, especially in the aspect of food processing. I would also like to thank to Dr. Rafal Łukasik for his valuable supervision and advice during my stay at LNEG. I would like to also thank Luisa Roseiro in help with capillary electrophoresis, Belina Ribeiro and Céu Penedo for their technical support.