Oleogels as heat-resistant barrier layer

From bakery snacks to prepared frozen vegetables, many foods are so-called multicomponent systems and consist of a dry layer and a moist or creamy layer. One challenge in the production and storage of such foods is to prevent the dry layer from becoming moist. Researchers at the University of Hohenheim have now developed a biobased barrier layer made of oleogels for this purpose. The oleogel consists of vegetable oils and ethyl cellulose and can thus be used in the food sector.

Work trousers

Today, most garments are made of synthetic, petroleum-based fibers such as polyester, nylon, acrylic or elastane. When washed, they release microplastics that can enter the food chain through wastewater. Natural fibers like cotton don't cause this problem because they are biodegradable.

“Nature has always been an impetus for technical developments”

Nature has always been a driving force for technical developments. Also Silvia Vignolini draws inspiration from Nature in her research work. At the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces (MPIKG) in Potsdam-Golm, the top physicist took over at the beginning of the year as Head of a newly established Department that focuses on the development of sustainable and bio-inspired materials. Her goal: artificial materials should be indistinguishable from natural materials.

Fallow land promotes bird diversity

Fallow land in agricultural landscapes of medium complexity has the greatest benefit for diverse bird life. This is the result of a nine-year study by the Thünen Institute, the Dachverband Deutscher Avifaunisten and the University of Göttingen. The researchers had evaluated correlations between the proportion of fallow land and the occurrence of agricultural birds.

Flora Incognita enhanced with AI

A photo of a flower or leaf is usually enough for the app to recognize the plant. With Flora Incognita, researchers at the Illmenau University of Technology and the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry in Jena have not only given amateur botanists a tool to easily recognize plants. Many researchers have since also been accessing the data sets in order to explore the distribution of plant species, for example. With the help of artificial intelligence, the team of developers from Illmenau and Jena was able to improve the performance of the app many times over.

Artificial photosynthesis produces important amino acid

Proteins are an indispensable part of nutrition. They are made up of amino acids, including L-alanine. Until now, most alanine has come from plant sources, which are mainly cultivated in the global south. The fields needed to grow it occupy large areas and affect biodiversity there. A research team at the Technical University of Munich has now presented an alternative production route: It is a biotechnological process based on the use of CO2 and green hydrogen as raw materials.

Edible packaging from eggshells

From yogurt pots and chip bags to cardboard boxes: The majority of packaging ends up in the trash shortly after use. 18.8 million tons of waste were generated in Germany alone in 2020, according to the Federal Statistical Office. 46% of this was generated in private households. To save raw materials and protect the environment, sustainable packaging solutions are needed. Students at the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart have an alternative. A five-member team called EDGGY has developed edible packaging.

“Carbon management measures must have a long-term impact”

Agriculture is responsible for around 7.7% of Germany's greenhouse gas emissions. In order to achieve the climate targets, emissions of climate-damaging gases must be drastically reduced. In agriculture, this is to be achieved with the help of carbon farming. There are many measures that remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store CO2 in the soil. But how does the principle work in agricultural practice and how effective are humus certificates? Carsten Paul from the Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) studied this topic.

New fiber composite made from biopolymers

Fiber composites made from bio-based raw materials are increasingly in demand in industry. They are set to replace materials previously based on glass or carbon fibers or even basalt or aramid fibers. The intention is to produce more sustainable products, because the previous variants are very energy-intensive, both in production and in recycling. Yet sustainability is not to be achieved at the expense of processability or material properties.