Emily Verhulst

Project Title: Exploitation of residual extracts from deproteinated legumes and plants to generate functional-food ingredients.

Overview: Emily is a first year PhD student in Teagasc Ashtown. Emily’s project is looking at ‘leftover’ waste produced from fruits and vegetables that have already been processed for something else. Protein is an ingredient which is commonly extracted from plant materials, and incorporated into food to improve the protein content. Unfortunately, the remaining plant material is often wasted.

Researchers in Teagasc have realised that the so-called ‘waste’ is actually rich in nutritional compounds, such as antioxidants. Antioxidants are molecules which help your body fight off potentially harmful cells which could cause disease.

Emily aims to investigate the leftovers from plant waste, extract a range of antioxidants, and create functional-food ingredients by fortifying food products, like meat - to create a value-added product that is healthy and nutritious, whilst also reducing food waste.

Emily is well-equipped for the task, having previously completed a 12-week internship with the sensory department in Teagasc in 2019, investigating red-meat shelf-life trials, and more-recently completed a 4-month contract in 2022 working as a laboratory technician in Teagasc investigating the antioxidant content in seaweeds.

In her spare-time, Emily enjoys all thing’s outdoors, whilst also embracing the art of craft – creating art from resin is just one such hobbies that Emily has.

Programme Area: Food Bioscience

Supervisors: Dilip Rai, and Nigel Brunton

Location: Teagasc Ashtown, Co. Dublin

Funding Source: Teagasc