Client:

Perfermento Limited is a biofermentation company based in Sheffield, co-founded by Dr. Leong, a University of Sheffield graduate.

 

Dr. Leong has a strong sense of focus on the health benefits of soy and is pushing towards a healthier alternative and an advanced process design to produce a nutritious and safe product which is scientifically developed and assessed.

The challenge:

The purpose of this study was to assess the viability of the creation of composite metallic-organic foams and their efficacy in selectively extracting unwanted flavours to increase the quality of soy sauce.

What we did

Through the Sheffield Innovation Programme (SIP), Perfermento Ltd worked with metallurgy experts from the University of Sheffield’s Materials Science and Engineering Department. The company was able to access academic expertise and research capabilities, allowing them to:

 

  • Identify allowable metals in the food and beverage industry that were fit for purpose
  • Determine appropriate extraction strategies
  • Design and conduct proof of concept experiments

The results

As a result of the support provided by the Sheffield Innovation Programme, Perfermento Ltd were able to progress their development of a healthier soy sauce alternative.

 

Through this project, metallic foams were added to Perfermento filters inexpensively to increase selectivity and characterisation indicated a reduction in the level of unhealthy impurities.

 

Following the project, an academic publication in a scientific journal is being drafted to disseminate the results of this work.

"We would like to thank the Sheffield Innovation Programme for this incredible opportunity. The result of this allowed us to secure additional resources for a summer research programme, which has generated value for the company. At the same time, we are preparing to publish non-commercial aspects of the project work that will be of interest to the scientific community."

Dr. LeongCo-founder of Perfermento

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