Title
Efficient Drying System as an innovation enabler of high value biorefineries. (Reduction of food waste and energy used to upcycle biomass)
Duration
12 August 2019 / 12 February 2020
VIDA Challenges
Resource-efficient food processing
Summary
9 billion kg of coffee are consumed annually, and 99% of it becomes waste. This brings huge environmental problems, since traditional methods to dispose this waste (i.e. landfilling & incineration) allow the waste to decompose and generate methane, a gas that is much worse than CO2. This is a shame since there is still a lot of value to be extracted from this resource. Kaffe Bueno is a biotech company using coffee’s by-product as a platform to produce ingredients for cosmetics, nutraceuticals and functional foods. We have developed a bio preservation system with the purpose of reutilising coffee waste. The systems are placed at origin (location of coffee waste producing companies) to sterilise the biomass at origin enabling us to up-cycle it into high value ingredients to be reintroduced into the food industry. This KET might be suitable for the food industry to valorise different food related waste. The aim is not only for waste valorisation but this solution could reduce the amount of energy used to recycle or dispose waste in traditional methods. Companies looking to reutilise waste to manufacture products of high value usually have high costs of pre-treatment and logistics. With our solution we reduce costs for logistics, energy and also prevent contamination. This solution has the potential to improve the coffee value chain since it opens a plethora of opportunities for the valorisation of its by-products, due to applications such as: biochemicals, nutraceuticals, cosmetics, and functional foods. This solution will help to accelerate the transition to a bio-based society where natural ingredients are accessible for the entire population at reasonable prices.
Partners
Kaffe Bueno