New technologies to valorise food waste and boost industry sustainability
Researchers on the project NOSHAN (Sustainable production of functional and safe feed from food waste) leveraged opportunities to benefit from food waste through its transformation into animal feed and feed additives. Their approach focused on nutritional value and functionality according to animal needs, and safety and quality for feed production using food-derived wastes and by-products. The team investigated processing and technology needs for using food waste for feed production, targeting low cost, low energy consumption and maximal valorisation of starting wastes materials. They created a publicly accessible database of relevant food wastes/by-products that could be used for feed production. They selected several from this broad portfolio and characterised them down to a molecular level. The activity helped identify interesting candidates for future research, the most interesting food waste streams to be processed, and the best valorisation path for each for bulk feed ingredients or additives. NOSHAN evaluated certain advanced technologies for extracting feed ingredients and produce functional additives using food wastes and by-products. They then successfully developed, tested and integrated a range of compounds to produce safe and functional feed. Researchers validated results with in vitro and in vivo tests. Animal trials included testing bulk feed ingredients and functional additives, showing that currently utilised raw materials can be replaced with functional ingredients as well as bulk ingredients from food waste and by-products. These were proven to maintain animal health and welfare, and also that feed formulations containing NOSHAN ingredients are safe and have nutritional value. The work included life-cycle analysis of the whole value chain (from starting raw materials to exploitable products and technologies). The use of ingredients derived from food waste and by-products clearly revealed a positive impact on sustainability of the feed production chain. Project results successfully promote the feasibility of food waste valorisation for feed production as well as their viability for substituting currently used feed raw material. NOSHAN tools and technologies for safe feed and additives therefore also promise direct socioeconomic benefits and lower environmental impact. Watch the project’s video here.
Keywords
Food waste, waste streams, food processing, NOSHAN, additives, feed production