Onsite upcycling has potential to deliver healthier processed foods

As sustainability becomes a driving force in food manufacturing, one solution promises a triple win: healthier products, lower waste and reduced carbon footprints. Onsite upcycling could be the key to meeting all three goals by turning plant-based byproducts into vital ingredients for plant-based processed foods.

While our current food production system has focused on the extraction of starches, proteins and lipids from plant-based materials, dietary fibers residing in the hemicellulose fraction of plants have been either discarded, sold as animal feed, directed towards offsite upcycling or used in bio-energy production. This hemicellulose fraction represents about one-quarter of plant-based materials on a dry-weight basis, research shows, and thus is an untapped potential.

The consequence of underutilizing the hemicellulose fraction in plant-based processed foods has not only had an economic opportunity cost but has also led to health issues in the general population. While the consumption of fresh foods, functional foods and supplements may be attainable for some, the masses are typically relegated to consuming processed and ultra-processed foods for purely economic reasons, which lack dietary fiber. As a result, the majority of people are consuming roughly half the dietary fiber they should be consuming on a daily basis.

Related:Luji’s Chocolate founder shares brand inspiration, advice – video

Importance of dietary fiber

Dietary fiber consists of two types of fibers: insoluble and soluble. Insoluble fibers, which represent roughly 75% of the total dietary fiber, promote the movement of material through the digestive system and increase stool bulking. Soluble fibers, representing the remaining portion of dietary fiber, play a key role in maintaining digestive health and consequently human health. These soluble fibers are quite simply food for our own probiotic bacteria, leading to the production of beneficial short-chain fatty acids and the upregulation of key human biomarkers.

Soluble fibers assist with the regulation of blood sugar and cholesterol, help with mineral absorption, impact the strength of our immune system as 70% of this system resides in the digestive track, and have been observed to impact the risk of developing a long list of different metabolic and chronic diseases.

The solution: Onsite upcycling

The onsite upcycling of hemicellulose plant-based side-streams has the potential to address this soluble fiber deficiency in processed and ultra-processed foods and thus have a positive impact on the health of people consuming these foods. Onsite upcycling would allow food, beverage, ingredient and feed companies processing plant-based materials to extract prebiotics, proteins, mono-sugars and other active ingredients from side-stream hemicellulose fractions through a process called hydrolysis. Hydrolysis involves the use of mechanical pre-treatment and enzymatic, chemical and thermal processing to solubilize as much of the hemicellulose fraction as possible, allowing the nutrients extracted to be more bioavailable for people consuming them.

Related:Expert panel explores functional food formulation at SupplySide West

These extracted nutrients could be added onsite to enhance new and existing plant-based products, creating a nutrient-rich product with prebiotics, protein and active ingredients that needs less added sugar. Extracted nutrients could also be isolated and converted into a syrup or dried and sold offsite as a new revenue source. What’s more, any insoluble fibers left over from the extraction process could be sold as material for bio-based packaging or bioenergy, utilizing as much as possible of the starting plant material.

Environmental benefits

Compared to offsite upcycling, onsite upcycling would have the advantage of having a lower carbon footprint as side-streams would not need to be transported offsite. Waste energy, water and other materials from a main production process could also be utilized in the onsite upcycling process leading to better process economics. Perishability issues due to microbial growth, relegating many side-streams to animal feed, could also be avoided as an onsite upcycling process could utilize side-streams as they are generated in real time.

Related:Business Bites: Lindt chocolate faces lawsuit over elevated lead levels

Onsite upcycling isn’t just a sustainable solution — it’s a competitive edge that can redefine food production in a health-conscious market.