The upgrading of plant-based proteins through fermentation is the subject of current research. In her master’s thesis, Minh Anh Pham investigated the enrichment of sunflower protein with the essential amino acid lysine in line with the requirements of the EU organic regulation.
The starting material was Heliaflor® 45, organic – our sunflower protein obtained from sunflower press cake. As part of the thesis, fermentation trials were carried out and suitable methods were developed for cultivating and analysing the microorganism used. Microbial growth during fermentation was monitored over a period of 72 hours. In addition, samples were prepared for subsequent quantitative determination of the lysine content by HPLC.
The results show that a reproducible experimental set-up for studying fermentation processes with sunflower protein could be established. The thesis thus provides a basis for further research into the fermentative enrichment of plant-based protein sources.
Source: Minh Anh Pham, master’s thesis ‘Anreicherung von Lysin in Sonnenblumenprotein durch Fermentation mit Corynebakterien unter Einhaltung der EU-Bio-Verordnung’ (‘Enrichment of lysine in sunflower protein through fermentation with corynebacteria in compliance with the EU organic regulation’), 2025.
