Institute for Foods of Plant Origin

The Institute for Foods of Plant Origin focuses on the safety and quality of fruits, vegetables, cereals, potatoes, legumes, oilseeds and oil fruits as well as other plant-based foods and the products produced from them. Researchers investigate both desirable and undesirable ingredients, including contaminants such as mycotoxins as well as fungal pathogens that can occur during storage and processing. Analysing desirable ingredients means conclusions can be drawn on the composition of plant-based food as well as on the effects of technological processing. The investigation of undesirable substances is the basis for developing strategies to avoid or minimise contaminants, fungal spoilage pathogens and their toxins along the value-added chain. On the basis of the Federal Agricultural Statistics Act, the Institute for Foods of Plant Origin is commissioned each year, as part of the Special Harvest and Quality Survey (BEE), with evaluating the processing quality and the levels of undesirable substances in German bread cereals. Staff at the institute also conduct variety testing of cereals on behalf of the German Federal Plant Variety Office. Additional tasks include nutrient analysis, for example for the German Nutrient Database “Bundeslebensmittelschlüssel”, the development of instrumental-analytical methods and the identification of biomarkers that provide insights into the consumption of plant-based food. Ecological production and climate resilience are key research areas of great relevance. With regard to sustainable process and product quality, topics like the improvement of product composition and food reformulation are also important.