Working together to improve health
Health is an incredibly important but complex area.
At SimSuFoodS, we collaborate with both academia and industry specialists to build knowledge in the field and develop new applications.
For example, we have recipes on how to make sourdough fermented strips with increased bioavailability (for a salad or similar) and we have a number of development projects with different types of enzyme activity to improve bioavailability.
Free from additives
SimSuFoodS products are completely free of additives such as preservatives, stabilizers and flavor enhancers.
The dishes prepared with our products are cooked at lower temperatures and pressures compared to meat-like textured products, reducing the risk of unwanted side reactions that can cause substances harmful to the body.
Improved health
High consumption of red meat and processed meat products can increase the risk of cancer. Compared to vegetarian diets, animal-based diets contain a higher proportion of saturated fats, which are a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
Increasing the amount of plant proteins in the diet therefore creates scope for a number of positive health effects.
When increasing the proportion of plant-based diets, it is extremely important not to lose sight of the nutritional perspective. Here are a few things that are important to know and keep in mind
Proteins are made up of amino acids and some amino acids, known as essential amino acids, cannot be produced by the body itself but must be taken in through the diet.
Vegetable raw materials do not usually contain the essential amino acids in sufficient quantities on their own, but together they complement each other. SimSuFoodS products contain proteins from both cereals and legumes, which gives rise to this complementary effect.
Our body is completely dependent on minerals such as iron, zinc, phosphorus, calcium, etc. to function.
Bioavailability, i.e. the ability of the body to absorb a mineral from a consumed food, differs between different foods. Uptake is also affected by other elements of our diet. For example, caffeine impairs our absorption of iron.
The bioavailability of minerals in vegetable raw materials can be increased by various pre-treatments such as soaking, sprouting, fermentation and acidification.
The term 'complete protein' does not simply mean that all essential amino acids are present. Almost always, all amino acids are present, but one or more of the essential amino acids are present in too small a quantity for the protein to be optimally absorbed.
Sometimes the Protein Digestibility-Corrected Amino Acid Score (PCDAAS) or Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid Score (DIAAS) is mentioned in connection with complete protein (FAO/WHO 1990; FAO 2013). Both PCDAAS and DIAAS are measures of protein quality where, in addition to the content of amino acids, the degree to which they are digested, i.e. metabolized in the body, is taken into account.
Most foods of animal origin have high protein quality. Two foods with low protein quality can be combined to give a higher protein quality. Supplementing a vegetarian meal consisting of rice and vegetables with a very small amount of fish, eggs, or meat, increases the protein quality of the meal
Globally, iron deficiency is the most common mineral deficiency, which has also been recognized as an increasing problem in young women in Sweden.
There are two different types of iron, heme iron and non-heme iron, where the bioavailability of non-heme iron is lower than that of heme iron. Vegetable foods contain exclusively non-heme iron and bioavailability is also more influenced by other substances.
For example, the simultaneous consumption of vitamin C, fish and meat can improve the absorption of non-heme iron, while substances such as polyphenols (found in e.g. tea, some herbal teas, coffee, wine) and phytic acid (found in fiber-rich foods such as cereals, legumes and nuts) can reduce absorption.