Bioinformatics reveals business potential in side streams

A collaboration between the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), Aalborg University and five Danish companies has resulted in a new bioinformatics-based method for identifying valuable proteins in industrial side streams.

As the demand for sustainable food production increases worldwide, the industry is seeking ways to utilise raw materials more efficiently and reduce waste across the value chain.

When potatoes, seaweed and other crops are processed into ingredients such as starch, alginate or carrageenan, significant volumes of protein-rich side streams remain. These have traditionally been used for animal feed or returned to fields as fertiliser – practices that overlook valuable components with potential uses in food production. Using modern bioinformatics, the research partners can scan side streams for specific proteins and convert them into functional peptides.

Early work has identified peptide emulsifiers in potato protein, which can be used for encapsulating and extending the shelf life of fish oil – a sensitive ingredient prone to oxidation.

protein extraction increases the value of side streams a thousand-fold

The same approach may reveal flavourings, preservatives and other functional ingredients in a wide range of protein-containing side streams.

Beyond optimising resource use, the method has significant commercial potential. The value of side streams can increase by a thousand-fold when proteins are extracted and
upgraded into high-value food ingredients. Because these proteins originate from familiar raw materials, they also meet consumer demand for naturally functional solutions.

The technology is applicable far beyond potatoes and seaweed and can be used to analyse any protein-rich sidestream, including wastewater from fish processing.