The laboratory of Chemistry of Food and Functional Compounds

About the Laboratory

The laboratory of Chemistry of Food and Functional Compounds at Tel Hai College focuses on the development of novel use of plant-derived compounds from botanical sources for food production, while the candidate compounds may provide both technological and health promoting properties. The research in the lab includes the whole range of activities: starting from searching for natural compounds with potential functional properties from wild plants and agricultural residues; development of their extraction, separation and identification processes; and examining their functionality and applications in foods.

תמונה ראשית כימיה של מזון וחומרים פונקציונליים

Research Areas

•   Characterization of functional compounds from Corn Cobs, development of their production processes and applications in foods.
•   Developing innovative plant-based added-value food products through the promotion of LOCAL Mediterranean NUT and LEGUME crops (The LOCALNUTLEG project, a consortium funded by PRIMA-EU).
•   Orobanchaceae plants as high protein and essential amino acids dietary sources.
•   Evaluating the functionality of wild Lupines proteins for novel food applications.
•   Characterization of "Royal Jelly" as a health promoting agent in foods.

Staff and Researchers

Dr. Loai Basheer – Head of Laboratory

Mail: [email protected]

Baraa Jamamaa - Lab Manager

Mail: [email protected]

Dean Shlomi - M.Sc. student

Jakob Alkobi - M.Sc. student

Or Tagar - M.Sc. student

Tomer Hatzir - B.Sc. student, research assistant

Safi Khalaila - M.Sc. student

Research at the Laboratory

Identification of functional compounds from Corn Cobs, development of their production processes and applications in foods

Conversion of agricultural byproducts into added value functional food components is a key emerging technology for addressing the need for environment friendly and sustainable resources. The inner core of the maize ear, known as corn cobs, consists of approximately 30% of the whole ear and most of this biomass is discarded by the agricultural industries. Xylan, considered one of the most abundant hemicelluloses in plants, constitutes around 20-25% of the dry corn cob. Beneficial physiochemical properties are attributed to xylan, demonstrating its potential suitability for several industrial purposes. A research in our lab focuses on the extraction, isolation and functionality of corn cobs derivatives, as well as studying their applications for food and nutrition.

Species of Malvaceae as novel food crops

In a collaboration with Dr. Oren Shelef, ARO, Israel.

The growing demand of healthy-functional food, along with the increasing agriculture-associated environmental pressures are emphasizing the need for production of more nutritious food while applying sustainable practices. Utilization of edible wild plants might be a promising avenue to meet these needs. Wild species of the Malvaceae family, found in the Mediterranean area and named in the generic term "Khubeza", have been used as traditional food for many years. Our work shows that Khubeza leaves exhibited a remarkable nutritional value. The incorporation of Khubeza into food products to enhance their nutritional value was also examined.

Developing innovative plant-based added-value food products through the promotion of LOCAL Mediterranean NUT and LEGume crops

The "LOCALNUTLEG" is an innovation action project of a European consortium financed by PRIMA and funded by EU. Our lab participates in this consortium through the developing of innovative plant-based added-value products based on Israeli local species/landraces of Lupines, Almonds and Carobs.

Selected Publications

Basheer Loai, Dag Arnon, Yermiyahu Uri, Ben-Gal Alon, Zipori Isaac, and Kerem Zohar. "Effects of Reclaimed Wastewater Irrigation and Fertigation Level on Olive Oil Composition and Quality". Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 99 (14), 6342-6349, (2019): doi.org/10.1002/jsfa.9911.

Basheer Loai, Ben-Simchon Eyal, Cohen Alisa, and Shelef Oren. "From Traditional Food to Functional Food? Evaluation of Malvaceae Species as Novel Food Crops". Agronomy, 11, 1294, (2021): doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11071294.

Basheer Loai, Hatzir Tomer, Israelson Polina and Shlomi Dean. "Identification of Functional Compounds from Corn Cobs, Development of their Production Processes and Applications in Foods". Interim Reading, Journal of the Department of Sciences Teaching at Weizmann Institute of Science, Issue no' 36-37 (2022): 26-33 (in Hebrew).

Hernández-López Israel, Ortiz-Solà Jordi, Alamprese Cristina, Barros Lillian, Shelef Oren, Basheer Loai, Ana Rivera, Abadias Isabel, and Aguiló-Aguayo Ingrid. "Valorization of Local Legumes and Nuts as Key Components of the Mediterranean Diet". Foods, 11(23), 3858. (2022).