Annica Andersson

Some examples of research projects I have worked in:

KLIFUNK - New technologies to improve the properties of bran

When milling wheat and rye, most of the flour is used as raw material in various foods. Approximately 15% end up in the bran fraction and is classified as a by-product that today mostly is used in the feed industry. By processing the bran in various ways, the technological and nutritional properties, such as increased solubility of the dietary fibers, and the taste could be improved. The project investigated how different processes like heat treatment, enzyme treatment and extrusion affect the properties of the dietary fibers. Experimental design was used to optimize the effects of different process parameters. The sensory properties of the processed bran were also studied. The project was financed TvärLivs (www.tvarlivs.se) and Lantmännen AB and was in progress in 2011-2104.

HEALTHGRAIN - Exploiting Bioactivity of European Cereal Grains for Improved Nutrition and Health Benefits

The purpose of this EU project was to reduce the risk of welfare diseases in Europe by increasing the intake of whole grains (mainly from wheat) with high content of health promoting substances. Part of the project was to identify and create new varieties with a high content of these substances. My work was to analyze alkyl resorcinols (AR), a bioactive component that may have physiological effects. A screening of 150 different species of wheat from around the world was carried out with analysis of dietary fiber and bioactive components, including AR. Of these, about 20 varieties were selected for cultivation attempts at different locations in Europe over three years. Effects of culture and varieties on different components were studied. For more information and results, see the project's own website HEALTHGRAIN (www.healthgrain.eu). The project lasted 2005-2012.

Effect of cultivation conditions on molecular weight of β-glucan in oats

There is a great interest in increasing the use of oats due to the high content of soluble dietary fiber, especially β-glucan, which has cholesterol lowering properties. Knowledge of how the raw material is influenced by variety and cultivation conditions can increase the added value of the oats and lead to the development of new products. In the project, β-glucan content and molecular weight were analyzed in various oceans grown in different places in Sweden for three years. The results showed that β-glucan content was most affected by black, whereas molecular weight was more affected by environmental factors. There was a positive correlation between the content and the molecular weight. These results could be used to control oats properties to the desired quality. The project was funded by the Foundation for Agricultural Research and was in progress 2007-2009.

SOLFIBREAD- Barley β-glucan and wheat arabinoxylan soluble technologies for health promoting bread products

The purpose of this EU project was to increase the level of soluble dietary fiber (both β-glucan and arabinoxylan) in European wheat bread by adding grain flour. Different baking enzymes and baking methods were used to maintain the technological and sensory properties of the bread. Since the molecular weight of β-glucan is thought to be important for the cholesterol-lowering effect, this was studied in particular. A method for analyzing molecular weight of β-glucan was added to the institution, and the effects of grinding and baking on molecular weight were studied. The results showed that β-glucan is degraded into smaller molecules of endogenous enzymes in breadmaking, especially during fermentation. However, flavored bread with elevated soluble dietary fibers could be produced, and the molecular weight of arabinoxylan was maintained. The project lasted 2000-2004.

Education

Food Science (MSc) at SLU, Uppsala. 1994.

Agronomy Doctor in Food Science, especially Plant Product Science, at the Department of Food Science, SLU. 1999.

Employments

PhD student at the Department of Food Science, SLU. 1995-1999.

Researcher at the Department of Food Science, SLU. 1999-2016.

Research Engineer at the Department of Molecular Sciences, SLU. 2017-

1. Djurle, S., Andersson A. A. M., Andersson, R. Effects of baking on dietary fibre, with emphasis on beta-glucan and resistant starch, in barley breads. Journal of Cereal Science 79 (2018) 449-455.

2. Andersson, A. A. M., Andersson, R., Jonsäll, A., Andersson, J. Fredriksson, H. Effect of different extrusion parameters on dietary fibre in wheat bran and rye bran. Journal of Food Science 82 (2017) 1344-1350.    

2. Djurle, S., Andersson, A. A. M., Andersson, R. Milling and extrusion of six barley varieties, effects on dietary fibre and starch content and composition. Journal of Cereal Science, 72 (2016) 146-152.

3. Andersson, A. A. M., Dimberg, L., Åman, P. and Landberg, R. Recent findings on certain bioactive components in whole grain wheat and rye. Journal of Cereal Science, 59 (2014) 294-311.

4. Andersson, A.A.M., Andersson, R., Piironen, V., Lampi, A.-M., Nyström, L., Boros, D., Fras, A., Gebruers, K., Courtin, C. M., Delcour, J. A., Rakszegi, M., Bedõ, Z., Ward, J. L. Shewry, P. R. and Åman, P. Content of dietary fibre components and their relation to associated bioactive components in whole grain wheat samples from the HEALTHGRAIN diversity screen. Food Chemistry, 136 (2013) 1243-1248.

5. Andersson, A.A.M. and Börjesdotter, D. Effects of environment and cultivar on content and molecular weight of β-glucan in oats. Journal of Cereal Science, 54 (2011) 122-128.

6. Andersson, A.A.M., Kamal-Eldin, A.and Åman, P. Effects of environment and variety on alkylresorcinols in wheat in the HEALTHGRAIN diversity screen. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 58 (2010) 9299-9305.