With the help from microorganisms in a tank, Novonesis delivers the tools to produce new protein ingredients with a nutritional quality equivalent to the proteins in meat and milk. This technological advancement reduces carbon emissions, water consumption, and land use with 90% compared to animal-based protein.

29% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions stem from our food consumption. Still, the global demand for food is expected to double by 2050 due to population growth and rising incomes.

According to a study by Copenhagen Economics, replacing 10% of animal protein with alternative proteins globally, can potentially free up 900,000 km2 (347,491.94 square miles) of land and reduce 700 million tonnes of CO2.

Leading the way in sustainable protein solutions through biotechnology

In Denmark, pioneering research is developing a new source of low-carbon protein to meet this need. For decades, the biotech company Novonesis has produced functional enzymes for food and beverages, and the technology is now at the heart of the company’s advanced protein solutions.

By applying precision fermentation, Novonesis delivers the tools for new protein ingredients with a nutritional quality equivalent to the proteins in meat and milk.

In short, Novonesis utilises a traditional fermentation process incorporating encoded microorganisms, like yeast or fungi, to generate a specific protein. After being added to a large fermentation tank – similar to those used in brewing – these microorganisms initiate the fermentation process. The result is a protein source that is stable, scalable, and sustainable.

The strictly controlled process delivers a reliable protein supply, independent of climate change, harvest variations or zoonotic epidemics.

Carbon emissions are up to 90% lower

Because the proteins are produced by microorganisms in a tank based on sugar and water, carbon emissions are up to 90% lower compared to animal-based protein. Water consumption and land use are also reduced by 90%.

At the same time, the strictly controlled process delivers a reliable protein supply, independent of climate change, harvest variations or zoonotic epidemics. In addition, the new protein offers improved taste, texture, and nutritional value.

By creating proteins to meet numerous needs, Novonesis will be able to contribute to the next generation of health-enabling proteins through fermentation – in a sustainable and efficient way.

Food loss is a major sustainability challenge. Globally, around 1.6 billion tonnes of food are lost or wasted every year, contributing an estimated eight percent of total greenhouse gas emissions. These losses represent not only wasted resources but also a missed opportunity to create value from under-utilised raw materials across the food system.

REDUCED, a Danish flavour solutions company, develops natural savoury products using surplus ingredients that would otherwise be discarded. The company sources by-products from agriculture and the food industry – including rapeseed cake, broken lentils, surplus chickens from egg production, shore crabs and second-grade vegetables – and transforms them into concentrated flavour profiles. This approach supports both resource efficiency and the development of new flavour systems.

REDUCED has upcycled more than 100 tonnes of by-products into natural savoury flavours

At the core of REDUCED’s method is an accelerated fermentation process that combines artisanal fermentation principles with modern biotechnology. By using a specific koji fungal spore that produces flavour-enhancing enzymes, REDUCED can unlock umami characteristics in diverse raw material streams. The process allows the company to convert by-products into additive-free savoury flavours within a shorter production timeframe than conventional fermentation methods.

To date, REDUCED has a continuous focus on reducing processing time, improving energy efficiency and expanding production capacity. The next milestone is to achieve a capacity of 500 tonnes of upcycled ingredients.

The concept of dynamic sprouting holds substantial promise in offering nutritious sustenance to both urban and rural households. Nonetheless, the absence of scalability has limited its complete potential. A technological breakthrough centered on achieving scalability through full automation is poised to transform sprouting-based solutions into a global reality.

While flaxseeds offer abundant nutrients and superfood advantages, mass production relies heavily on manual labor and oversight. Additionally, sprouted flaxseeds are viewed as potentially risky due to concerns about salmonella, e.coli, and other microbe-related problems. This obstacle hindered the sprouting business from reaching its global needs, demanding an innovative solution to shift consumption from dormant to sprouted seeds.

The Technological Advancement

The Dynamic Sprouting Technology prototype has taken about a year and a half. The first tiny pilot plant, the size of a 40 feet container, is now producing a product portfolio of six sprouted seeds including flaxseed, buckwheat, lentil, broccoli, alfalfa and beans, in the quantity equivalent to a large artisanal sprouting plant the size of a football field.

Sprout Dynamics now produce multiple batches, faster and cheaper due to in-depth biotech knowledge of what the plants want and introduction of a conveyor principle instead of static surfaces or stations still used by the most modern sprouting companies. By integrating cutting-edge sensor systems to monitor food safety parameters and, notably, incorporating robotics at each phase of the traditional and revered agricultural practice, Dynamic Sprouting has achieved a pinnacle of technological advancement. This positions it as a prime contender for establishing a superfood production franchise, poised to redefine the benchmarks of urban farming.

Dynamic Sprouting has the potential to yield 20-50 times more food compared to current alternatives

Moreover, Dynamic Sprouting functions with zero water and product waste, while also mitigating its CO2 footprint through minimal or ultra-quick cooking periods and crop reduction capabilities.

Sprout Dynamics can mass produce industrially any sprouted seeds at half the market price with no humans involved in the production process and with food safety guaranteed by the system designed with the knowledge and quality control ensured by sensors and AI. These achievements have made Sprout Dynamics to become the largest producer of sprouted flaxseed in the world!

Life below water, UN SDG goal 14, is being challenged by anthropogenic overfishing exceeding the oceans limits. The Danish company, Cavi-Art, has taken a pioneering step to address this issue, by creating a sustainable and nutritional vegan alternative to shrimp caviar.

Nearly one-third of the world’s evaluated fisheries are operating beyond their ecological capacities, underscoring the urgency of the situation. Among the key contributors is the escalating human consumption of shrimp, leading to the depletion of shrimp populations in certain regions, thereby threatening marine ecosystems.

one-third of the world’s assessed fisheries are currently pushed beyond their biological limits

One of the main targets is shrimp. The human consumption of shrimp continues to rise, to the point where catching shrimp in certain areas has been red-listed.

In accordance to the UN Sustainable Development Goal 14, focusing on life below water, the Danish company Cavi-Art has created a vegan shrimp alternative. The vegan shrimp caviar is created from seaweed and kelp, containing glutamates – amino acids that react with receptors on the tongue to create the umami taste.

Cavi-Art’s vegan caviar offers a alternative that reduces the demand for shrimp. By curbing shrimp consumption, the product alleviates pressure on overfished shrimp stocks, thus fostering the replenishment of marine life. This approach ensures the uninterrupted life cycle of shrimp, contributing to the balance of the marine environment. Additionally, the high omega-3 and B12 content add an extra dimension to consumer benefits.

Cavi-Art is collaborating with other food producers to expand their variety of vegan caviars, while delivering high-quality and great tasting products. This allows for the luxury food to exist in different colors and tastes while maintaining a natural balance in the sea life.

 

Some foods are simply not the same without butter. As a result, Naturli’ has taken on the challenge to provide a plant based alternative to butter, while keeping the fat content high and a spreadable texture.

In response to the demand for a climate-conscious and tasty alternatives, NATURLI’ has since 1988 worked hard to go against the norm of dairy products being animal based. As a result, the company has provided a product portfolio of plant-based products, including plant milks, spreads and ice cream making it easier to select plant based alternatives.

A large challenge has been providing an alternative to animal based butter, with a high fat content and spreadable texture. However, Naturli’ has successfully uncovered two plant based alternatives, that resemble the animal based product, and reaches a fat content of 75%. These products were crafted with a commitment to organic and sustainable practices, avoiding the use of palm oil and instead were formulated using plant-based oils and almonds. This shift provides a creamy and flavorful alternative to traditional butter.

The products are 100% organic and available in over 40 countries, allowing for a global transition towards plant-based alternatives

NATURLI’s dedication to challenging the status quo in the dairy industry by providing innovative plant-based solutions has resonated globally. The expansion of their product offerings, including the plant-based butter, has contributed to a more sustainable and inclusive food market. This is also evident through the large difference in environmental impacts of vegan and animal based butter, emitting 2.3 kg of CO2 per 1 kg of vegan butter instead of 17 kg of CO2 for dairy butter.

The products not only cater to vegans and vegetarians but also resonate with environmentally conscious consumers seeking to make a positive impact through their dietary choices.

 

For many years, finisher producers have been asking for real time data, to manage and monitor the production. Animal welfare is a shortcut to optimisation of production and Danish technological solutions help farm managers by offering tools to identify and utilize shortcuts.

When Lee N. Farm finalised building their new finisher farm in South Korea, the four houses were fully equipped with SKOV ventilation and farm management system – designed for optimal animal welfare and production results.

Each house has four sections containing 450 pigs ranging between 34 kg and 120 kg. In addition to a new low power ventilation system securing fresh flow of air and good room temperature without draughts the farm has also chosen to install FarmOnline from SKOV.

Real-time data for real-time management

SKOV have many years’ experience and have installed systems in more than 50 countries across the globe. The FarmOnline management system provides real-time data on the production to the manager, whether in the farm office or on the go. Further, SKOV can be granted access to the data if assistance is needed.

Through a bundle of apps the FarmOnline gives you an overview at livestock house, farm, and business level, enabling you to optimise animal welfare and production

Through a bundle of apps the FarmOnline gives you an overview at livestock house, farm, and business level, enabling you to optimise animal welfare and production. The modules will even be cloud-based in a near future.

Considerable difference

When the first pigs arrived in June, in hot and humid weather, the pigs were comfortable in their new houses. Clear indicators of increased welfare under the new conditions include that the pigs are well ahead of the previous performance indicators approaching the target weight of 120 kg two weeks earlier than the previous production cycles.

The Danish farm management solutions from SKOV are available to pig producers around the globe searching for improvements in sustainable production and output.

According to the Nordic Nutrient Recommendations, plant-based diets are the way ahead for human health and climate change. As a result, KMC has provided high-quality ingredients to produce delicious, plant based cheeses.

On June 21^st, the New Nordic Nutrient Recommendations 2023 were published, providing a clear list of dietary recommendations for human consumption that promote a healthy lifestyle with low environmental impacts.

The recommendations were mainly plant based, with the exception of fish. Meats, dairy products and other animal-based foods were suggested to be consumed moderately due to their high carbon footprints. As a result, the delicious flavors and consumption habits from animal products must be found elsewhere. 

The Secret Ingredient

Producing animal-like products without the use of animal-based ingredients can be a brain twister. However, KMC has now mastered the production of plant-based cheese without the use of milk. The secret ingredient is potato starch.

By using potato starch, KMC has uncovered the recipe for alternative cheeses, without compromising the taste, consistency or mouthfeel

So far, the alternative cheeses can be found in in the form of pizza toppings, cheese spreads and hard cheeses. Depending on the type of cheese, the potato starch is treated differently. However, not all cheeses are equally replicable, and the team at KMC is therefore working hard to produce the greatest products for plant-based consumers.

—When working on plant-based cheese we still experience a few issues. One is to improve our spreadable cheeses while another is to create the right stringy plant-based pizza cheese alternative you know from movies, which causes headaches across the industry, says Ole Primholdt Christensen, Business Development Director at KMC.

At KMC the ambitions are high, and the knowledge and experience is growing every day. Their goal is to provide plant-based alternatives to every types of cheese, to eliminate possible limitations to the plant-based diet, while helping the climate.

 

Round-the-clock air conditioning is indispensable in large poultry houses. Even a small variation in the temperature and humidity level can compromise healthy growth from day-old chicken to slaughter. So a lot of energy goes in to maintaining the perfect indoor climate – particularly in countries where outdoor conditions reach the extremes.

That is why Danish ventilation system supplier SKOV decided to test the energy-saving capacity of a new fan on a broiler farm just outside Brisbane, Australia where the summers are both hot and humid. The farm belongs to a long-standing customer with a series of identical houses, each one containing the same poultry breed and employing the same feed and management tools.

SKOV replaced the existing fans in one of the houses with the new BF 50 BlueFan. Due to the higher ventilation capacity, the number of fans could be reduced from 16 to 13. Comparative tests were then run over five broiler batches. The results were clear and the conditions inside the house remained optimal throughout.

BF 50 reduced energy consumption for ventilation by up to 50%

Such an energy-saving improvement means the return-on-investment time can be as little as two years, depending on electricity prices, climatic conditions and other producer-specific factors. The overall rewards are lower energy costs and reduced carbon emissions into the environment.

Many farmers benefit from the use of nitrification inhibitors (NI) to maximise nitrogen availability for sustaining crop growth and reducing nitrate leaching. International studies have also documented the ability of NI to reduce the production of nitrous oxide – a primary source of GHG emissions from agriculture.

Now a research team from Denmark is investigating another important question: the precise climate and environmental effects of NI under Danish conditions.

The objective is to document whether NI can support Danish farmers in reaching their climate goals. Based on initial calculations, potential exists to cut nitrous oxide emissions by at least 400 kt CO₂ equivalents a year.

NI research will provide basis for national recommendations

However, little is currently known about how NI are affected by different soil types, weather patterns, fertiliser and manure types and the practices of the individual farmer. There is similarly little data about the side effects of NI on soil microorganisms and the risk of leaching into surface and ground water.

This is all necessary knowledge before policymakers decide whether to promote NI as a sustainable tool for reducing GHG emissions in Denmark.

Aarhus University, University of Copenhagen and SEGES Innovation are partners in the project which will provide the basis for recommendations to the agricultural industry on NI use. Funding has been provided by the Climate Research Program under the Danish Agricultural Agency.

Can bioactive compounds in Nordic macroalgae be used to limit methane production in cow stomachs? Danish researchers are investigating the possibility in a project to pioneer a new methane-reducing additive for cattle feed.

Initial findings suggest there could be potential to cut cow methane emissions by at least 45% with no negative consequences for productivity, animal health or food safety.

Macroalgae could cut cow methane emissions by 45%

Aarhus University is leading the partnership project, which started out by harvesting and cultivating macroalgae species with known anti-methanogenic properties. From them, a handful of promising compounds are being identified through in vitro simulation.

The ultimate test of the bioactive compounds will be a controlled feeding trial with dairy cows, measuring the impact on methane generation alongside milk production, health and other key parameters.

The plan is to patent and commercialise the additive within five years of the project’s completion in August 2025. As no additive for effective methane reduction is currently available, market demand is expected to be high.

The other partners in the project are Danish Technological Institute, Ocean Rainforest, Lactobio, Novonesis, Vilofoss and DLG.