Waste recycling to upgrade new food raw materials

Corporate interest in upcycling raw materials is increasing

Statistics show that one third of the food for human consumption in the world is wasted every year

In fact, these wasted foods have different roles in different links of the industrial chain such as smart packaging, coating technology, blockchain traceability technology, and smart apps

The coffee grounds are fragrant

Coffee is very popular around the world.

Kaffe Bueno is a Danish industrial biotech startup founded in 2016

Beer residue "drunk"

Barley pomace, a by-product of beer brewing, has various health benefits, mainly containing starch and fiber

In 2020, global beer giant Anheuser-Busch InBev invested in a company that uses a proprietary process to convert grains left over from the brewing process into nutrient-rich ingredients, including protein and dietary fiber, that can be added to bread, pasta, plant-based milk in various food recipes

Agricultural waste is "sweet"

In 2021, The Supplant Company of the United Kingdom will launch a new type of sugar raw material derived from fiber, which has the properties of sucrose and can replace part of the sugar in food

At present, the company has applied for a series of patents, including the technical process of producing the fiber sugar

This sugar is about one-third as sweet as sucrose and can be used to replace some or all of the sugar in product formulations, including baked goods, cereals, chocolate, cakes, candy and ice cream

Arabinoxylan is a naturally occurring fiber in the cell walls of many plants

Cashew dregs "meat" into the meal

Cashews are a common nut, and the cashew industry alone discards thousands of tons of cashews each year, as does the cashew juice industry

Cashew fiber is rich in fat, fiber, minerals, protein, tannins, and vitamin C, and is gluten-free

China has also started research on the reuse of cashew by-products

Pineapple leaves are "fresh"

Scientists in Singapore have been working hard to find a way to use pineapple waste pineapple leaves, and have now turned it into an aerogel that can be used not only to preserve other fruits and vegetables, but also to clean up toxic chemicals from wastewater

　　"These eco-aerogels made from pineapple leaf fibers are very versatile

　　The ethylene absorption capacity of the modified eco-aerogel was 6 times that of commercial potassium permanganate ethylene absorbent
.
Compared to traditional strong oxidant food preservatives, this is a safer method and more effective than non-toxic chemical sprays
.

　　According to reports, due to its high porosity, ecological aerogel has high efficiency in removing metal ions, even in dilute solutions with low metal ions, and the treatment process is simple, low cost, and does not produce secondary waste
.
Eco-aerogels can also easily desorb metal ions and can be reused many times, further reducing costs
.

　　In fact, in addition to these upgraded raw materials mentioned, there are many cases of waste utilization
.
Thailand’s Kokoboard, for example, uses agricultural waste such as coconut shells, peanut shells, etc.
to make building boards; Nestlé this year launched a product called Nescafé Nativ Cascara, a carbonated soft drink that uses coffee berries
.

(Comprehensive arrangement by Yang Xiaojing)

"China Food News" (December 20, 2021 Edition 06)

　　(Editor-in-charge: Yang Xiaojing)