METU Food Engineering Faculty Member Dr. APRISE, which was prepared by Mecit Halil Öztop with his team and aimed at the development of alternative protein resources in the field of sustainable food production in the field of sustainable food production, was one of the 13 projects accepted among the 117 projects applied to the European Commission.
APRISE is the first consortium coordinator of the university within the scope of Ufuk European Program.
Prof. Dr. Öztop said that they aim to educate researchers in the field of alternative protein in the field of alternative protein that can be described as deficiencies in Turkey and to lead these researchers to the new research in the field at the end of 4 years.
Underlining that many researchers in the world are working on the factors affecting climate change, Öztop pointed out that one of the most important factors that cause climate change in terms of food systems is committed to animal foods.
Öztop stated that animal cultivation has a significant impact on greenhouse gas emissions in climate change, so that food science researchers concentrate on new alternative proteins obtained from plants and industrial wastes, and that alternative proteins can be produced again by modifying the amount of protein in natural means.
The process of producing new proteins
Prof. Dr. Öztop stated that the project they presented within the scope of the European Research Area (ERA) TALENTS call opened in 2024 within the scope of Ufuk European Program is the only project accepted from Turkey.
Plant -based Foods Association, Turkey Technology Development Foundation (TTGV) and a pioneer company in the milk products in Turkey also included in the project Öztop, as well as Germany, Sweden, Malta, Greece, Italy, Poland, the United Kingdom, Northern Macedonia, Northern Macedonia, Spain And he explained that the project was cooperated with the organizations from Denmark.
Emphasizing that they want to spread the project, Öztop said:
“We want to raise these individual -oriented people and do research at the Turkish ecosystem in the long term. We want to produce chickpeas, lentils and make the products in which they are already familiar with Turkish consumers. “
Prof. Dr. Oztop, alternative proteins will be seen more common in beverages, stating that the development of vegetable -based dairy products can be used in the ready -made foods can be integrated, he said.
Öztop pointed out that the shelf life will have an important criteria while developing these products. We will also contribute to sustainable food design. ” he said.
Öztop said that the plant -based foods association and TTGV are working on awareness in the field of alternative protein and added that they have the goal of creating a policy certificate in the field of alternative proteins for Turkey together with these two organizations.