Nutritional Assessment Focusing on Beta-carotene and Dietary Fibre of Fermented Grated Carrots : supplementary Life Cycle Assessment

Sammanfattning

This master’s thesis was conducted in collaboration with Axfoundation and their initiative Blood and Turnip. A notable amount of carrots produced goes to waste and about a third of the carrots produced are not used as food. This thesis investigates the impact of lactic acid fermentation on the nutritional composition of one of Axfoundation’s newly developed products, fermented, grated carrots from upcycled packhouse side streams mixed with a vegan mayonnaise. The primary objective was to assess the effects of fermentation on the content of beta-carotene and dietary fibre. Nutritional analyses were conducted by an external laboratory using established analytical methods. Additionally, a life cycle assessment (LCA) was performed to estimate the carbon dioxide footprint of the final product using a standard methodology. The results from the nutritional analysis indicated an increase in the detected levels of beta-carotene and fibre following fermentation. These findings were consistent with previous studies suggesting that fermentation may enhance the bioavailability of certain nutrients. The LCA resulted in a carbon dioxide value that was lower compared to similar products currently available on the market. However, this result should be interpreted with caution, considering factors such as the quality of raw materials and specific process parameters. In conclusion, the study supports the hypothesis that fermentation may enhance the nutritional quality of vegetable-based food products. However, further research is required to isolate the specific mechanisms by which fermentation affects the nutrient availability, and to validate the results under varied conditions.