NoPalm Ingredients developed a sustainable, circular alternative to palm oil based on fermentation of local waste streams from harvests and food production. The company hits two targets with one arrow: reducing the use of palm oil and reusing food waste streams.
NoPalm Ingredients has partnered up with Getinge for enhanced R&D progress.
In June 2021, Prof.dr. Jeroen Hugenholtz (CTO) founded NoPalm Ingredients together with Lars Langhout, MBA (CEO) to further develop the concept of producing sustainable oil from food waste streams for the market.
“Before that, I was already working on all kinds of fermentation concepts at the Wageningen campus at Food & Biobased Research (WFBR) that could potentially become commercially relevant,” says Hugenholtz. “One of them was the oil-producing yeasts. These yeasts are able to produce and store large amounts of fatty substances (fats/oils) in their cells. They do this with an abundance of carbon sources such as glucose that is present or released during the processing of primary agricultural products (vegetables, fruit and grains) into food.
After growing the yeast cells in fermenters, the fats or oils can be extracted from the cells.”
Residual flows
“The process of forming the oil with the aid of yeast was already known, but we have shown that it can also take place on a larger scale,” says Hugenholtz. “Furthermore we have shown that the process can take place on the basis of residual flows from food production. This had not been demonstrated before.”
Various residual flows can be used: such as the leaves of sugar beets, green from sweet corn and potato peels. Or, for example, in the production of cut vegetables (packages) for the supermarket, there are a few things that fall short or are not suitable. “All perfectly suitable as starting material for our process.”
NoPalm Ingredients has collaborated with a number of parties from the MISTA consortium (Danone, AAK, Givaudan and Ingredion) to test their no-palm oil in a plant-based yoghurt. Furthermore, the oil has been used to make Unilever bouillon cubes, as part of dough, as an ingredient in (chocolate) filling and palm oil substitute in non-stick spray (release agent) in bakery applications. It has also been used as a fat fraction in all kinds of dairy or meat substitutes that are made on the basis of plant material.
Scaling up
“The next step we are now working on is the production of hundreds of kilos or even tons that parties want to test in their own production line. A few kilos is now possible. Companies we work with came back enthusiastically after the first tests on a small and slightly larger scale. They now want to test even larger batches and for that we are currently optimizing the scaling up to tons,” says Hugenholtz.
Collaboration with Getinge
NoPalm Ingredients has partnered up with Getinge for enhanced R&D progress. The company mentions the benefits of this partnership: this way it has access to cutting-edge technology, to the latest advancements in lab equipment, ensuring that the research is at the forefront of the fats & oils industry.
“I am happy that NoPalm Ingredients has embarked on a groundbreaking journey to redefine sustainability in the palm oil industry. Through our collaborative efforts, our bioreactor systems are being used to cultivate a brighter, palm oil-free future. Our commitment to innovation is sowing the seeds of change for a planet-friendly alternative, where nature thrives, and communities prosper. I have no doubt that this long-term collaboration will support NoPalm Ingredients expand from research to production.”
concludes Sales Engineer Benelux, Jasin El Refaei from Getinge-Applikon Bioreactors.
Bron: EVMI September 2024, NoPalm Ingredients