Ingredients for Sustainability
TNOs current research programs aim to add flexibility to current food manufacturing practices,
by introducing new sustainable processes and ingredient alternatives for the food industry.
S
ustainability is a key
issue, especially in the
wake of a rising world
population and the need to feed
this growth under the stress of
limited, competing resources
and environmental changes.
Sustainability in the food in-
dustry ultimately translates
into the ability to produce safe,
healthy and affordable foods
indefinitely, without sacrificing
the consumer and the environ-
ment. The word indefinite
is a key term and it suggests a
(very) long time. Under this
definition, sustainability con-
cepts are inevitably linked to
issues of security, renewability
of energy and minerals, water
recycling and efficient utiliza-
tion of resources.
The Production Chain
Food production chains
start with primary producers
of agricultural products and
end with the consumers at
Figure 1: Schematic diagram of a generalized food production chain showing initial producers up to the end-
consumers. In most cases, the food manufacturing environment comes to play the central role.
10 THE WORLD OF FOOD INGREDIENTS
Diaz Sustainable.indd 10
by Jerome Diaz
large (figure 1). The complex-
ity of the chain increases with
the processing and distribution
of foods. Inevitably, agricul-
tural produce is processed into
a multitude of products e.g.
the transformation of wheat
into flour; of muscle into meat;
of fruit into a juice and many
more. Additional processes fur-
ther increase the complexity of
the food production chain. The
production of bakery, processed
meat, dairy products and other
prepared foods widens the gap
further between the primary
producers and consumers.
The gap between the prima-
ry producers and the consumers
encompasses food manufactur-
ing companies, which includes
the primary processors (e.g.
slaughterhouses, milling/refin-
ing companies), the prepared
food manufacturers and the
industry that supplies them (e.g.
equipment suppliers, additive,
ingredient and packaging firms,
among others). Arguably, in or-
der to enhance the sustainability
of the food production chain,
the food manufacturing industry
plays a central and crucial role.
It will be difficult to shorten the
gap between primary producers
and consumers since there is a
need for ever increasing pro-
ductivity, quality, nutrition and
safety to meet the demands of a
growing world population.
Sustainable Case Studies
Research programs at TNO
target innovation for the inter-
mediating steps between the
primary producers and con-
sumers. This means providing
innovation to food manufactur-
ing companies and the relevant
supply industries. In general,
TNOs goal is to develop tech-
nologies for increased utilization
of agricultural products, by
closing production loops. In ad-
dition, TNOs current research
programs aim to add flexibility
to current food manufactur-
ing practices, by introducing
new sustainable processes and
ingredient alternatives for the
food industry.
Case 1. Resource efficien-
cy in food production and
processing: Currently, TNO
serves as the coordinator of the
FP7 EU project RESFOOD
(Resource Efficient and Safe
Food Production and Process-
ing). The project aims to de-
velop technologies that increase
sustainability by saving and
recovering water, nutrients and
energy during primary produc-
tion operation of fruit and veg-
etables (figure 2). In addition,
the valorization of side streams
is also being evaluated in the
process to reduce waste streams
and simultaneously increase
profitability of the crops. The
project has set the ambitious
aim to obtain water and nutri-
ent savings of up to 75%. The
EU project is conducted in close
collaboration with SMEs [such
as Vezet and Adesva] to ensure
direct implementation of the de-
veloped technologies and other
research organizations [VITO,
Technion, CNTA], which each
have specific fields of expertise.
Two interesting aspects of
green technologies being de-
veloped in the RESFOOD
project are the utilization of side
stream residues as a source of
functional ingredients. Among
these are green technologies for
the extraction of alkaloids, with
the purpose of evaluating them
as possible plant-derived natural
pesticides. Another technology
being developed is the extraction
SEPTEMBER 2013
3-9-2013 16:11:37
 of highly branched pectins, to being taken into consideration closed. The property of algae More algae-based ingredients
serve as an ingredient in food and studied. to convert CO2 into biomass will be available as the technolo-
applications. Currently, the TNOs GAIA (Getting Al- at a very fast rate is key in this gies for separation and extraction
functionality of the branched gae Ingredients Applied) project matter. Due to the diversity of are developed. Under the GAIA
pectins is being investigated at focuses on developing green various algae species, they are project, TNO aims to devel-
TNO. cascade process technologies poised to become an important op green cascade technologies
for the utilization of the entire crop of the near future as a re- and define the business cases
Case 2. Developing inte- algae biomass. Algae can be a newable source of various food for establishing an algae-based
grated cascade processes sustainable crop when non- ingredients, bulk chemicals and biorefinery. The three main
resulting in sustainable in- arable salty areas are used for high-value compounds. Algae- ingredients being evaluated as
gredients: Traditionally, most production sites, and when derived flour is already available part of algae biorefinery are the
separation technologies focus nutrient and water cycles are on the food ingredient market. extraction of oil, protein, and
on only one key component that
is purified from the feedstock.
This leads to the production of
huge quantities of side streams.
For example in the sugar pro-
ducing industry, besides the 80
tons of sugar beets per hectare
produced, about 40 tons of
leaves are also generated. At
the moment, this biomass is
either composted or turned into
animal feed. However, TNO
started a cascade process in order
to valorize sugar beet leaves for
the production mainly of pro-
teins, carbohydrates and biofuel
(see figure 3).
The main technology hurdle
was the extraction of functional
soluble protein, using green
chemistry. The process that
was developed centered on the
extraction of leaf proteins, which
arguably are the most abundant
protein in the world, containing
a high nutritive value, possess-
ing good functional properties
and with no known allergic ef-
Figure 2: EU Framework project RESFOOD aims to develop innovative technologies
fects. These properties make the creating impact on resource efficiency in food production and processing.
protein a valuable ingredient for
food products and a proper can- Cargill Vehicles Cut Emissions for Cocoa & Chocolate Business
didate as a meat replacing pro-
tein. The extraction process for
Cargills cocoa & chocolate business
soluble leaf proteins was based has introduced two new Eco-Combi
on a combination of physical trucks to replace three conventional
separation mechanisms (filtra- vehicles reducing CO2 emissions
tion, flocculation, precipitation), from transport by 30 percent. The ve-
combined with chromatogra- hicles are being used to transport the
phy. The separation technology companys Gerkens cocoa powder on
being developed can be applied 3,250 journeys per year, from Cargills
for the extraction of leaf proteins plant in Wormer, the Netherlands, to
its ultra-modern 50,000 square metre
from other plant sources, other
warehouse facility operated by DSV in
than sugar beet leaves. This may the port of Amsterdam.
be any green leafy biomass. An
important factor to consider is The new vehicles mean that 2,000 fewer journeys per year are now undertaken 3,250 com-
pared to 5,250 previously which means a reduction of 100,000 kilometres per year travelled.
the nutrient and organic mat-
The Eco-Combi vehicles are longer than the vehicles they replace, 25 metres compared to 18
ter content of the soil once the metres. They are also heavier, and have upgraded braking systems and adapted axles to aid
leaves are removed from the steering and turning.
field. This effect is currently

SEPTEMBER 2013 THE WORLD OF FOOD INGREDIENTS 11

Diaz Sustainable.indd 11 31-8-2013 11:15:26

 natural colorants obtained from
a cross-section of algae species.
By estimating the capital expen-
ditures (CAPEX) and operating
expenditures (OPEX), business
firms and companies are more
able to make an informed deci-
sion on how to develop a busi-
ness case that will make algae
biorefinery beneficial, both for
the environment and company
profitability.
Case 3. Alternative protein
ingredients: Estimates suggest
that current protein production
cannot meet the demands of the
growing global population. In ad-
dition, traditional sources for pro-
teins (meat, dairy and poultry) are
increasingly under stress, due to
the environmental impact of large
scale farming operations. To this
end, alternative protein sources
are being explored and developed.
An example given earlier is the ex-
traction of proteins from leafy ag-
12 THE WORLD OF FOOD INGREDIENTS
Diaz Sustainable.indd 12
ricultural side streams. However,
other alternative protein sources
are being developed. Currently,
TNO is also evaluating insects
as a protein source. Evaluation of
insect protein safety, in terms of
their allergenicity and digestibility
are also underway at TNO. Sev-
eral other technologies on protein
separation and extraction are cur-
rently being developed. Recently,
TNO developed a process for the
extraction of protein and fish oil
from side streams of the salmon
fish fillet/steak industry.
The purified protein can re-enter
the food chain, while the fish oil
can be used as a source for omega
3 fatty acids. The remaining
salmon carcasses are used for the
production of biofuel (methane).
These technologies close the
processing loop, add value and
lead to maximal utilization of
feed stock resources, improving
the sustainability of the fishing
industry.
Case 4. Physical modification
of ingredients: The rise in con-
sumer awareness has resulted in
a shift towards green, sustainable
modification technologies and
away from chemical modifica-
tion strategies. Given the choice,
food companies and product
developers will opt for the clean
label ingredient over chemical-
ly modified versions. However,
the functionality requirements
for many food products are not
easily met by existing natural
ingredients. For example, the
rheological requirements for
starches in the manufacture of
sauces cannot always be met
by native starches. In the past,
the chemical modification of
starches made it possible to meet
industrial processing and han-
dling requirements. However,
novel processing technologies
such as physical modification
using super-heated steam (SHS)
technology, are alternative sus-
tainable modification strategies
for native starches to achieve the
desired technological properties
of food ingredients, without
chemically modifying them.
SHS processing uses a com-
bination of heat, water activity
control and pressure to bring
physical modification of the
starch granules. It is also cur-
rently used for the disrup-
tion of second generation feed
stocks for biofuel production.
SHS treatment of hemicel-
lulosic feed stocks lead to the
Figure 3: Cascade processing for the valorization of sugar beet
leaves. Value-adding green technologies are important for enhancing
sustainability in the food production chain.
disruption of the hemicellulose
network leaving the cellulose
fibrils more accessible for bio-
chemical transformation. The
disrupted hemicellulose and
lignin are currently being used
as chemical building blocks or
converted into other higher
value compounds/ingredients.
Lignin can for example be used
as a replacement for bitumen is
asphalt or as a UV-coating.
Efficiency and Flexibility
Overall, the cases presented
and the technologies developed
all point out to the increased ef-
ficiency in obtaining functional,
nutritious and safe food com-
ponents. This is made possible
by identifying novel sources for
ingredients with the intention
of introducing flexibility in the
food production chain. Another
route for increasing efficiency in
the food production chain is by
maximizing the usage of current
feed stocks by side stream valori-
zation. These technologies are
important in enabling the food
production chain to be more
sustainable under the pressure
of a growing world population,
diminishing resources and envi-
ronmental changes.t
For more information about
sustainable processes and ingredients,
please contact Jerome Diaz (jerome.
diaz@tno.nl). The author would
like to thank Peter Geerdink for
providing the figures for this article.
SEPTEMBER 2013
31-8-2013 11:17:22