Upcycled food ingredients overview for sustainable food production
- Spent brewers yeast is versatile protein replacer improving texture fats alternatives
- Egg shells reinforce bioplastics extend packaging shelf life reduce waste
- Dairy whey feeds protein demand, used as feedstock for casein
- Fruit pomace adds fibre, can be used as food protective coating
- Animal blood replaces eggs, proteins, preservatives, is used for fertilisers, improves sustainability
A lot goes to waste in food production. The leftovers from making food cannot always be, at least immediately, turned into products, so it’s easy to discard them.
But these leftovers are often highly versatile. With a little imagination, waste streams, often still chock full of nutrients and functional properties, can be extraordinary.
Upcycling products can also make food production more sustainable, as less goes to waste.
1. Spent brewers’ yeast
Spent brewers’ yeast is widely used in the food and beverage industry.
For example, it is often used as an additive. It can be used in mayonnaise as a fat replacer, and to increase the protein and amino acid content in cooked hams.
The ingredient can be used as an alternative protein, by start-ups such as Protein Distillery, which uses spent brewers yeast as a protein in alternative meat, dairy and egg products, and Saccha, which uses it as a stand-in for the functional properties of egg protein.
2. Egg shells
Egg shells can be upcycled into sustainable packaging.
They can work as mechanical reinforcement in bioplastics, improving the mechanical, thermal and barrier properties in bioplastic films.
Some eggshell-based packaging has even been found to extend the shelf-life of certain goods.
Eggshells are available abundantly, often discarded in landfills rather than used productively.
Eggshells have been used for packaging in industry. For example, US-based Ecoshell provides an egg shell-derived bio-calcium to reduce plastic in packaging.
3. Dairy whey
Another ingredient that can be upcycled is dairy whey. Dairy whey is used extensively for protein powders and supplements, a demand that is accelerated by the popularity of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs and the corresponding greater need for protein. This has led to a shortage of whey.
Dairy whey has also been used by Bel Group and French start-up standing innovation to produce casein, using precision fermentation. Standing Ovation uses its patented microorganisms to produce casein, using whey as a feedstock.
The benefits of this are the reduction of waste. By partnering with Bel Group, Standing Ovation gets access to the by-products of the company’s cheese-making process.
Even alcohol products can be produced from whey; start-up Wheyward Spirit uses upcycled whey to produce a range of spirits.
4. Fruit pomace
Pomace, the pulpy leftovers of fruit juice or cider production, has a wide range of uses for the food sector.
To give an example, fibre-rich grape and apple pomace can be incorporated into meat products, although this must be used in moderation so as not to affect taste and texture.
It has also been possible to ferment blackcurrant pomace to produce a beverage.
Outside of food itself, upcycled pomace has been used as a protective coating for fruit and vegetables by Swiss research institute Empa, in partnership with supermarket retailer Lidl.
5. Animal blood
Animal blood left over from slaughterhouses is an ingredient that has several different purposes in the food sector.
For example, blood plasma can be used in a variety of ways, including as an egg substitute in baked goods and an alternative to protein additives in the formation of frankfurters.
Blood can be used as an additive in food as colourants, preservatives, flavour enhancers, and even as a potential substitute for nitrites in cured meat.
Blood proteins are widely used as binding agents and fat replacers in meat products, even in some cases enhancing consumer enjoyment.
It can also be used as a fertiliser, in the form of blood meal. Blood meal is one of the main fertilisers used in organic farming. Once it is dried, the blood can be spread on plants to deter animals such as rabbits.
