Protein fibrillation technology for advanced techno-functionality and bioactive delivery systems

This technology platform focuses on the controlled manipulation and self-assembly (fibrillation) of various plant- and animal-based food proteins. By inducing proteins to form organized nano-fibrillar structures, we transform ordinary agricultural proteins into high-performance, functional biomaterials.

Modern food and nutraceutical industries struggle to achieve optimal texture, gelling, and emulsification using alternative or upcycled proteins. Furthermore, delivering sensitive bioactive nutrients safely through the digestive tract remains a challenge. Protein fibrillation solves both issues: it drastically enhances the techno-functionality of sustainable proteins and creates a robust, natural matrix capable of encapsulating and delivering sensitive compounds.

We study and control the specific environmental and processing triggers (such as temperature, pH, shear, and biocatalytic/enzyme kinetic factors) that cause different plant and animal proteins to unfold and realign into stable nanofibrils. Once formed, these protein-nanofibril scaffolds act as a protective microencapsulation network, stabilizing fragile nutrients or bioactive molecules and controlling their release during digestion.

Our laboratory has fully operationalized the specialized equipment required to track and characterize fibrillation behavior. We are actively investigating fraction-specific fibrillation across a diverse matrix library, including animal-derived processing by-products (such as fish-protein nanofibrils) and clean plant-based sources (such as fraction-specific lupin proteins).

We are seeking industry partners, ingredient manufacturers, and food technology companies to collaborate on scaling these processing methodologies. Next steps include validating these fibrillated protein biomaterials within commercial food formulations (e.g., plant-based milks, meat alternatives) and optimizing them for specific targeted compound-delivery applications.