Improved utilization of Norwegian agricultural resources

The global food system faces several challenges, including climate change, limited natural resources, and unstable supplies. Additionally, there is increased awareness of the food system's impact on the environment and how our diet affects our health. In Norway, there is an ambition for increased self-sufficiency and agriculture across the country. To achieve this, it is important that agricultural raw materials are processed and utilized in the best possible way and that consumers are offered high-quality food products. NorwegianFoods aims to contribute to increased utilization and value creation of food made from Norwegian agricultural raw materials through innovative use and processing to attractive, healthy, and sustainable products. Norwegian agricultural commodities such as fruits, berries, vegetables, potatoes, oilseeds, legumes, cereals and meat will be studied. What will be investigated, depends on the raw material. For fruits, berries, and vegetables, it is important to gain more knowledge about the effect of postharvest storage and processing to improve quality and utilization. Cereals and legumes have other properties, and various fractionation methods will be investigated in addition to new and innovative baking processes and development of products with improved nutritional quality. For increased utilization of oilseeds and plant-based side streams, it is important to gain new knowledge about lipids and natural antioxidants, shelf life, functionality and bioactivity. Meat quality can be improved by understanding what causes muscle defects and how quality is affected by storage. To produce high-quality products, it is necessary to have knowledge about how processing in interaction with raw materials and ingredients affects the structure and other properties of the product.

The global food system faces several challenges, including climate changes, wars, unstable supplies and limited natural resources. Also, there is an increased awareness about the food system's impact on the environment and how diet affects our health. Consequently, there is a need for research-based knowledge that can contribute to sustainable production of healthier food. The Norwegian government has an ambition to increase self-sufficiency. To achieve this, it is important that utilization of the agricultural resources is improved and that the consumers are offered high-quality food products. To meet these challenges, the following research needs are identified: 1. For optimal utilization of Norwegian agricultural resources, more knowledge about the quality and use of the whole plant or animal, as well as insight into storage conditions and processing to innovative ingredients and products, is needed. 2. To produce high-quality products, knowledge about how processing in interaction with raw materials and ingredients affects the structure and properties of the product, is needed. To close these knowledge gaps, we will investigate: -how quality of fruit, berries and vegetables are affected by postharvest storage and processing and how side streams can be utilized as innovative ingredients -how to produce new healthy and functional ingredients and products from cereal and legume-based ingredients -how oilseeds and plant-based side streams can be utilized through new knowledge about plant lipids, natural antioxidants, functional properties, and bioactivity -which factors affect meat quality -structure of plant-based and composite multiphase food systems and how it changes during processing and affects target properties of the foods Through the knowledge obtained, the project will contribute to improved utilization and value-creation of foods made of Norwegian agricultural raw materials for the benefits of Norwegian primary producers, food industry and consumers.