Nutrition High-quality vegan proteins as a future meat substitute

New production plant to produce high quality vegetable protein

A German research team wins two million euros in funding that, in almost ten years of preparatory work, laid the foundations for a novel process that can be used to obtain valuable proteins from almost any vegetable raw material. According to the scientists, the resulting protein is 100% vegetable, allergen-free, organic and GM-free. It is suitable for diets, as well as for athletes and for babies and seniors and offers so far a unique competition to meat and dairy products.

The research team led by Professor Hans-Jürgen Danneel is one of the winners of the nationwide sponsorship competition Go-Bio of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). With the pioneering concept, a founding team of a technical college was able to assert itself for the first time. The ambitious project is intended to make a contribution to securing global nutrition and protecting the climate. With the grant money, the first production plant of this kind is to be created within the next two years.

By-products, which are produced during the cultivation of rapeseed, maize and hops, will soon produce high-quality vegan proteins. (Image: Ingo Bartussek / fotolia.com)

Vegan protein from agricultural by-products

The new plant is to produce vegetable proteins from by-products, which are produced in the cultivation of corn, oilseed rape and hops, in a multi-stage process. Low-value or undesirable ingredients are removed during the procedure. In this way, food additives can be produced that are 100% natural, vegetable, allergen-free, GMO-free and without additives. The new pilot plant will produce up to 50 kilograms of these supplements every day in about two years.

Real competition with dairy and meat products

"In addition to all ideological discussions, for the first time we are creating qualitatively and sensory objectively higher-quality competitive products to today's market-dominating milk or meat proteins," says project leader Danneel in a press release on the award ceremony. This technology contributes to securing the global nutrition, improves the value chain, protects our waters, avoids genetic engineering and helps with climate protection, summed up Timo Broeker from the winning team.

Foundation of a new production plant

The production plant will be equipped with a digital control system - state-of-the-art. The project will also serve as a demonstration for the network "SmartFoodTechnologyOWL". All important positions such as management, finances, technology and development of the production plant are taken over by the founding team itself.

Further participations are currently being negotiated

"We are very optimistic that we will be able to generate another million euros of equity capital," says Danneel. Currently, the team is exploring all the possibilities to create the optimal launch conditions both strategically and financially. One of the debates is the participation of the Ostwestfalen-Lippe University of Applied Sciences, from which the research team originated.

About Go-Bio

The BMBF start-up biotechnology initiative (Go-Bio) provides researchers with up to seven years of support for selected projects. In addition to the funding, entrepreneurial knowledge is taught and the beneficiaries receive coaching and consulting services. On the website of the BMBF the protein project is presented in a short video. (Vb)