Sustainability in the Food Chain * Sustainability in the Food Chain * Institute of Food Research: Exploitation Platform

About the REPRO project

  • Project No. FOOD-CT-2005-006922
  • Project Title: Reducing Food Processing Waste

Purpose and significance of the project

Food processors and producers are under increasing pressure to reduce their disposal of surplus co-products. Such residues are biologically complex, and if discarded as waste can often be environmentally unfriendly, and often microbiologically unstable.

REPRO is a STREP (Specific Targeted Research Project) funded by the European Commission (DG - Research) under the 6th Framework Programme, Thematic Priority Area 5, Food Quality and Safety. REPRO seeks to develop advanced methods to enable total transformation of food-processing-derived superfluous co-products [e.g. vegetable trimmings and cereal co-products such as brewers’ spent grain] into high- and medium-added value food, feed and related ingredients such as biopolymers, phytochemicals, nutrients and micronutrients.

The Consortium

The REPRO consortium comprises a group of world-class food research establishments from the EU and candidate countries. All have considerable research experience relevant to adding value to food processing co-products both at national and international level.

Objectives

REPRO has 4 key scientific and technical objectives:

  • To develop integrated procedures for ensuring microbiological safety, stability and traceability of co-products
  • To develop precision enzyme-based bioprocesses to deconstruct and tailor co-product components
  • To create novel hybrid systems (bioprocesses and advanced separation/extraction technologies) to deconstruct co-products into defined and marketable product streams while ensuring water recycling
  • To minimise market risk of new processes by:
  1. Ensuring acceptability of new products and processes by consumer/retailers, and assessing technological feasibility, economic viability, environmental safety (LCA), and legislative compliance;

  2. Developing dissemination and exploitation routes across the food industry and consumer/retailer sectors via Stakeholder Interaction Platforms and a Brokerage Platform.

Anticipated benefits

Around 3.4 million tonnes of spent grain from the brewing industry and over 1 million tonnes of vegetable trimmings from the vegetable processing industry (Eurostat) are produced in the EU every year. Their improved exploitation will:

  • Reduce the environmental impact of food waste (reducing landfill, lessening noxious residues and odours)
  • Enhance the sustainable management of organic matter from food production and processing;
  • Contribute to integrated resource and waste management
  • Promote environmentally-friendly processing methods
  • Increase industrial competitiveness
  • Provide natural ingredients for the food and feed industries
  • Contribute to food quality and safety

Who to contact for further information:

Professor Keith Waldron
Institute of Food Research
Norwich Research Park
Colney
Norwich
NR4 7UA
UK
Phone: +44 (0) 1603 255000
Fax: +44 (0) 1603 507723

E-mail: keith.waldron@ifr.ac.uk

 

Sustainability in the Food Chain Exploitation Platform Copyright Institute of Food Research Institute of Food Research