Egon Bech Hansen

Technical University of Denmark | DTU · Department of Systems Biology

Isolation of new plant-derived lactic acid bacteria (LAB) is highly prioritized in developing novel starter cultures for plant-based fermentation. This study explores the diversity of LAB in Danish flowers and their potential use for plant-based food fermentation. A total of 46 flower samples under 34 genera were collected for LAB isolation. By int...

Isolation of new plant-derived lactic acid bacteria (LAB) is highly prioritized in developing novel starter cultures for plant-based fermentation. This study explores the diversity of LAB in Danish flowers and their potential use for plant-based food fermentation. 46 flower samples under 34 genera were collected for LAB isolation. By introducing an...

The potato protein patatin embeds bioactive peptides that require targeted hydrolysis to be released as promising food additives. This study presents a patatin-specific protease assay for assessing a wide range of protease activities in high-throughput format. Conjugating patatin to the amine reactive fluorogenic BODIPY FL dye provided a stable pro...

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have evolved into fastidious microorganisms that require amino acids from environmental sources. Some LAB have cell envelope proteases (CEPs) that drive the proteolysis of high molecular weight proteins like casein in milk. CEP activity is typically studied using casein as the predominant substrate, even though CEPs can h...

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have an extracellular proteolytic system that includes a multi-domain, cell envelope protease (CEP) with a subtilisin homologous protease domain. These CEPs have different proteolytic activities despite having similar protein sequences. Structural characterization has previously been limited to CEP homologs of dairy- and...

This work studies the emulsifying and antioxidant properties of potato protein hydrolysates (PPHs) fractions obtained through enzymatic hydrolysis of potato protein using trypsin followed by ultrafiltration. Unfractionated (PPH1) and fractionated (PPH2 as >10 kDa, PPH3 as 10–5 kDa, PPH4 as 5–0.8 kDa, and PPH5 as <0.8 kDa) protein hydrolysates were...

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have an extracellular proteolytic system that includes a multi-domain, cell envelope protease (CEP) with a subtilisin homologous protease domain. These CEPs have different proteolytic activities despite having similar protein sequences. Structural characterization has previously been limited to CEP homologs of dairy and h...

With increasing awareness of the impact of food on the climate, consumers are gradually changing their dietary habits towards a more plant-based diet. While acceptable products have been developed in meat analogues and non-fermented dairy products, alternative fermented dairy products such as yogurt and particularly ripened hard and semi-soft chees...

Bioinformatics tools were used to predict radical scavenging and metal chelating activities of peptides derived from abundant potato, seaweed, microbial, and spinach proteins. The antioxidant activity was evaluated in 5% oil-in-water emulsions (pH4) and best-performing peptides were tested in mayonnaise and compared with EDTA. Emulsion physical sta...

The validity of the “DRCMS” was tested as a new method for the collection and procurement of raw camel milk samples from the field. One hundred microliters of whole fresh raw camel milk were spotted on sterile Whatman filter paper (SWFP) and then stored at 24 °C and 37 °C from 0 to 3 days. The log10 CFU/mL count of mesophilic aerobe (MA) population...

This study investigated the emulsifying and antioxidant activity of 10 peptides derived from seaweed, methanotrophic bacteria, and potatoes, which were identified as emulsifiers using quantitative proteomics and predictive bioinformatics. The factors (e.g., interfacial properties, secondary structure, net charge) behind the dual-functionality of...

We tested the validity of the “DRCMS” as new method for the collection and procurement of raw camel milk samples from the field. 100 µl of whole fresh raw camel milk were spotted on Sterile Whatman Filter Paper (SWFP) then, stored at 24°C and 37°C from 0 to 3 days. We compared the log 10 cfu/mL count of mesophilic aerobes (MA) populations and the f...

The aim of this study was to investigate the potential of potato proteins and peptides as emulsifiers in the microencapsulation of fish oil by spray-drying. Microcapsules were produced using a potato protein extract, and fractions enriched in patatin and protease inhibitors. Furthermore, bioinformatically predicted emulsifier peptides from abundant...

Bioinformatics tools were used to predict radical scavenging and metal chelating activities of peptides derived from abundant potato, seaweed, microbial, and spinach proteins. The antioxidant activity was evaluated in 5% oil-in-water emulsions (pH4) and best-performing peptides were tested in mayonnaise and compared with EDTA. Emulsion physical sta...

Peptides and protein hydrolysates are promising alternatives to substitute chemical additives as functional food ingredients. In this study, we present a novel workflow for producing a potato protein hydrolysate with improved emulsifying and foaming properties using quantitative proteomics and bioinformatic prediction to facilitate targeted hydroly...

Scope: Currently there are no specific recommendations for the use of any particular infant formula in the prevention of cow's milk allergy (CMA). Recently, there has been an increasing interest in alternative infant formulas based on milk proteins from other sources than the cow, including milk from other mammalians such as goat, sheep, donkey, h...

With the increasing demand for sustainable and functional proteins from alternative sources, it is necessary to use advanced proteomics and bioinformatics tools for more time and cost-efficient research. The identification and release of abundant proteins/peptides from plant-based sources has been gaining significant attention by the food industry...

Seaweeds attract substantial interest as novel sources of sustainable food protein, as they are established sources of industrial hydrocolloids with reasonable protein content. In this study, we investigate the protein composition and nutritional quality of a seaweed protein extract (SPE) from Gigartina sp. The SPE displayed low (<2%), but pH-depen...

Plant-based food products are generating a growing interest as part of the ongoing transition to a primarily plant-based diet, which makes demands to the quality, functionality, and health properties of plant proteins. Microbes used for traditional food fermentations such as lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and fungi (yeasts and molds) carry out enzymati...

Peptides and protein hydrolysates are promising alternatives to substitute chemical additives as functional food ingredients. In this study, we present a novel approach for producing a potato protein hydrolysate with improved emulsifying and foaming properties by data-driven, targeted hydrolysis. Based on previous studies, we selected 15 emulsifier...

Peptide emulsifiers derived from plant proteins are gathering growing interest as green and sustainable replacements for chemical additives in food. Potato (Solanum tuberosum) is one of the most important crops for both human consumption and industrial processing. Globally, the annual production of potato starch exceeds 3,000,000 MT with more than...

Fermented fish paste Ka‐pi‐plaa is a popular condiment possessing characteristic appetite‐stimulating aroma and taste, so it is highly and widely accepted by Thai consumers. The chemical compositions and physical properties of 10 commercial fermented fish pastes from local producers in Phatthalung and Nakhon Si Thammarat provinces, Thailand were st...

Cow’s milk-based infant formulas are the most common substitute to mother’s milk in infancy when breastfeeding is impossible or insufficient, as cow’s milk is a globally available source of mammalian proteins with high nutritional value. However, cow’s milk allergy (CMA) is the most prevalent type of food allergy among infants, affecting up to 3.8%...

This chapter gives a review on the biological activities encrypted within milk proteins. These bioactivities are potentially released by proteolytic enzymes during the digestion process and they have the potential to be released by enzyme hydrolysis and turned into functional food ingredients. The focus of the chapter is on the peptides that have f...

In this study, we used a combination of quantitative proteomics and bioinformatic prediction for identifying novel antioxidant peptides. Thirty-five peptides from potato, seaweed, microbial, and spinach proteins were investigated. Based on high DPPH radical scavenging activity (IC 50 ≤ 16 mg/mL), metal chelation activity, isoelectric point, and hig...

Seaweeds have a long history as a resource for polysaccharides/hydrocolloids extraction for use in the food industry due to their functionality as stabilizing agents. In addition to the carbohydrate content, seaweeds also contains a significant amount of protein, which may find application in food and feed. Here, we present a novel combination of t...

Production of Thai fish paste Ka‐pi‐plaa fermented using beardless barb, Cyclocheilichthys apogon was monitored. The physicochemical, microbiological and antioxidant properties were compared after each process, that is autolysis, salting, sun‐drying and fermentation. Colour parameters L* decreased while a* and b* increased during production (P < 0....

Fermentation of bacteria has within the last decade received an increasing amount of attention as a sustainable production method for feed protein. In particular, the use of methanotrophic bacteria such as Methylcoccus capsulatus has been shown to be an excellent example of how microbial fermentation can convert greenhouse gasses such as methane in...

As global focus on sustainable and zero-waste food protein production continues to increase, the search for alternative sources and side-stream valorization intensifies. The red seaweed Eucheuma denticulatum (Spinosum) could prove to be part of the solution in the Green Transition. Despite a modest protein content compared to other seaweed species...

The red seaweed Eucheuma denticulatum (Spinosum) is central in the industrial hydrocolloid production. Despite a modest protein content compared to other seaweed species and other alternative protein sources, the enormous quantities of industrially processed Spinosum, makes protein-enriched side-streams a potential source of food protein and protei...

The present study investigated the potential of potato proteins and peptides as emulsifying agents in the microencapsulation of fish oil through spray-drying using glucose syrup as shell material. Microcapsules (average oil load of 14.8 ± 2.3% and mean diameter of 7.5 to 15.4 µm) were produced with two synthetic potato peptides (G1 and G38), potato...

The demand for functional ingredients from natural and more sustainable sources is increasing. In recent years, peptides have been investigated for their functions including their antioxidant activity and ability to prevent oxidation in food. Previously, we have identified antioxidant peptides (4-30 AA residues) embedded in potato, seaweed, single...

Beardless barb is a common fish species used in fermentation of fish paste Ka‐pi‐plaa. Autolytic profile of beardless barb muscle showed the maximum autolysis was at 50 °C, at both acidic and alkaline pH values. With augmentation concentration of NaCl, autolytic activity slightly decreased. Endogenous proteinases isolated from fish muscle in crude...

Global focus on sustainability has accelerated research into alternative non-animal sources of food protein and functional food ingredients. Amphiphilic peptides represent a class of promising biomolecules to replace chemical emulsifiers in food emulsions. In contrast to traditional trial-and-error enzymatic hydrolysis, this study utilizes a bottom...

Sustainable eating habits have increased the demand for alternative sources of functional and natural ingredients such as plant and microbial based peptides with antioxidant activity. For some of these sources (potato, seaweed, rubisco and single cell proteins), we have used bioinformatics and proteomics to identify and predict embedded peptides wi...

We investigated the role of the interfacial properties of ten synthetic potato peptides (previously identified by bioinformatics) to physically and oxidatively stabilize 5 wt.% fish oil-in-water emulsions (pH 7). Peptides α10, α12, γ1, γ75 and γ76 adopted a predominantly α-helical conformation (48-57%) at the interface leading to poor inter-peptide...

The cell envelope proteinase (CEP) of Lactococcus lactis is a large extracellular protease covalently linked to the peptidoglycan of the cell wall. Strains of L. lactis are typically auxotrophic for several amino acids and in order to grow to high cell densities in milk they need an extracellular protease. The structure of the entire CEP enzyme is...

This research was conducted to develop and evaluate improved camel milk yogurt using a combination of exopolysaccharide (EPS) producing lactic acid bacteria (LAB), starch (S) and camel milk powder (CMP). The experiment had five treatments with YF-L904 culture used as EPS producing LAB and YC-X 11 culture as non-EPS producing LAB. Both strains of LA...

This research was conducted to develop and evaluate improved camel milk yogurt using a combination of exopolysaccharide (EPS) producing lactic acid bacteria (LAB), starch (S) and camel milk powder (CMP). The experiment had five treatments with YF-L904 culture used as EPS producing LAB and YC-X 11 culture as non-EPS producing LAB. Both strains of LA...

Camel milk has been found to be difficult to process into different dairy products due to slower rate of acidification and other factors related to its composition. Hence this study was aimed to evaluate effects of two different mesophilic starter cultures, addition of camel milk powder (CMP) and the use of microbial transglutaminase (MTGase) on th...

Seaweeds have a long history as a resource for polysaccharides/hydrocolloids extraction for use in the food industry due to their functionality as stabilizing agents. In addition to the carbohydrate content, seaweeds also contains a significant amount of protein, which may find application in food and feed. Here, we present a novel combination of t...

Dietary antioxidants are an important preservative in food and have been suggested to help in disease prevention. With consumer demands for less synthetic and safer additives in food products, the food industry is searching for antioxidants that can be marketed as natural. Peptides derived from natural proteins show promise, as they are generally r...

The genome sequences of four Lactococcus lactis strains isolated from fermented camel milk were sequenced using paired-end Illumina MiSeq reads. The genome size of each strain was about 2.6 Mb, and three of the strains were annotated with tet(S) coding for tetracycline resistance.

Food waste and industrial side streams with high protein contents are potential and widely unexplored sources for new food ingredients. In particular, peptides liberated by proteolysis may hold unidentified latent bioactivities. However, protease selection for this liberation process is extremely challenging, as liberation of target peptides will r...

Peptide emulsifiers derived from plant proteins are gathering growing interest as green and sustainable replacements of chemical additives in food. Potato (Solanum tuberosum) is one of the most important crops for both human consumption and industrial processing. Globally, the annual production of potato starch exceeds 3.000.000MT with more than 20...

In this work, we developed a novel approach combining bioinformatics, testing of functionality and bottom-up proteomics to obtain peptide emulsifiers from potato side-streams. This is a significant advancement in the process to obtain emulsifier peptides and it is applicable to any type of protein. Our results indicated that structure at the interf...

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) activated lactoperoxidase system (LPs) on keeping quality of raw camel milk at room temperature. Camel milk samples were collected from Errer valley, Babile district of eastern Ethiopia. The level of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) for activation of LPs was optimized using di...

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) activated lactoperoxidase system (LPs) on keeping quality of raw camel milk at room temperature. Camel milk samples were collected from Errer valley, Babile district of eastern Ethiopia. The level of hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2) for activation of LPs was optimized using...

This study aimed on a short-term enzymatic hydrolysis on potato protein powder (non-denatured protein extract) by application of Neutrase, Alcalase, Flavourzyme and trypsin at different concentration (0.1, 1 and 3%) in free fall pH. The efficiency of peptide generation and functional properties of resulting peptides were determined in terms of degr...

This study was conducted to evaluate the safety and bacterial profile of Dhanaan (Ethiopian traditional fermented camel milk). The composition of the microbial community in Dhanaan samples was analysed by a metagenomic approach of 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Metagenomic profiling identified 87 different bacterial microorganisms (OTUs) in six...

Bioinformatics was used to identify emulsifying peptides embedded within the structure of potato protein. This reduced time and cost of extensive screening hydrolysis processes. Up to 40 synthetic peptides having between 10 and 29 amino acids, different net charge and potential different conformation at the interface (e.g. a-helix, b-sheet and unor...

This study is part of a bigger project which aims for identifying and producing useful peptides from available protein sources. Bioinformatics tools have been developed to predict functional peptides, which are embedded in potato, seaweed, and single cell proteins. Main focus was on identifying these peptides´ emulsifying activity. In order to char...

This study was conducted to evaluate the safety and bacterial profile of Dhanaan (Ethiopian traditional fermented camel milk). The composition of the microbial community in Dhanaan samples was analysed by a metagenomic approach of 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Metagenomic profiling identified 87 different bacterial microorganisms (OTUs) in six...

Background: When breastfeeding is impossible or insufficient, the use of cow’s milk-based hypoallergenic infant formulas is an option for infants suffering from or at risk of developing cow’s milk allergy. As the Camelidae family has a large evolutionary distance to the Bovidae family and as camel milk differs from cow’s milk protein composition, t...

This experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of starter cultures on the physicochemical properties, texture, and consumer preferences of soft white cheese (SWC) made from camel (Camelus dromedarius) milk. The experiment was laid out in a completely randomized design with 5 treatments [starter cultures; i.e., 1 thermophilic (STI-12), 2 bl...

Bacterial resistance to classical antibiotics is emerging worldwide. The number of infections caused by multidrug resistant bacteria is increasing and becoming a serious threat for human health globally. In particular, Gram-negative pathogens including multidrug resistant Escherichia coli are of serious concern being resistant to the currently avai...

Due to the rapid emergence of resistance to classical antibiotics, novel antimicrobial compounds are needed. It is desirable to selectively kill pathogenic bacteria without targeting other beneficial bacteria in order to prevent the negative clinical consequences caused by many broad-spectrum antibiotics as well as reducing the development of antib...