From waste stream to healthy food in Interreg project SUN

Under the leadership of Hochschule Niederrhein in Germany, Interreg project Sustainable and Natural Sidestreams (SUN) is investigating the possibilities of using residual streams for healthy food. Together with the Limburg project partners Food Claims Centre Venlo, Brightlabs, Liquid Salads and TUN Food Innovation, the project investigates how peels and other residues of fruits and vegetables can be preserved for consumption.

Food Claims Centre

The Food Claims Centre of Maastricht University together with the project partners investigates which by-products are interesting to be valorized. Safety issues around contamination, allergens, storage and transport conditions are investigated. By clarifying the legal perspective at EU level, it is expected to provide guidelines on how to reduce potential risks during production.

TUN Food Innovation

By making (storable) semi-products from residual streams, otherwise lost products can be reintroduced into the food chain at a later date. For this, extraction methods and drying are of great importance. While researchers at Hochschule Niederrhein focus on extraction, TUN Food Innovation is the expert in the field of drying in this project. Together with Blue Engineering, TUN Food Innovation is developing a new, industrial drying method for agri-food products. They are working on the construction of an innovative machine with Vacuum MicroWave drying techniques (VMW), which can be used to dry for example pig ears, mushrooms, tomatoes, potatoes, but also residual streams.

Brightlabs

The role of Brightlabs in this project includes the analysis of the amounts of bioactive compounds in the residual streams, both before and after TUN's innovative drying methods to a semi-finished or finished product. This can demonstrate that the healthy content substances are still present.

Liquid Salads

Partner Liquid Salads from Venlo uses the creativity in researching the possibilities for types of semi-products and their preservation. With the goal of using the semi-products in existing or new food products.

More information about the SUN project can be found on the website of the Hochschule Niederrhein.

Source: Brightlands Campus Greenport Venlo