RuBisCo Protein Production for Elderly Population Diet – LCA Approach

000000000

Dubravka Skunca, PhD, DSc GreenProtein Project LCA Leader dubravka.skunca@ppf.edu.rs

Innovation ConferenceFood Innovation in the Silver Economy Aarhus, 22-23 January 2020

• Annual food waste of 88 million tones in the European Union (EU) is connected with costs of 143 billion euros.

• GreenProtein is BBI JU Horizon 2020 project.

• Innovation in the field of protein production and food loss reduction in the EU –environmentally friendly production of RuBisCo protein out of sugar beet leaves.

• Vegetable protein RuBisCo with high nutritional value would fit well for elderly population diet.

Project Partners

Work Packages

DEMO Plant Opening

• The GreenProtein project has established demo plant for the environmentally friendly extraction of RuBisCo protein from sugar beet leaves at industrial scale on 10th

October 2019 in Dinteloord, Netherlands.• It will allow defining of the optimal conditions for the extraction process in order to be

an easily replicable system in the whole EU.

LCA approach

• LCA study evaluates environmental impacts throughout the life cycle of RuBisCoprotein extraction and isolation process from sugar beet leaves.

It includes the following steps:

• Mapping the process (setting the goal)

• Setting scope and boundaries

• Collecting data

• Calculating and analyzing the results

RuBisCo Protein

Environmentally Friendly RuBisCo Protein Production for Silver Market

• Increased demand for manufacturing products with higher protein content for the

silver food market is related to specific nutrient requirements of the elderly to

prevent health-related problems.

• Vegetable protein RuBisCo with high nutritional value can be used instead of animal

protein and provide a solution for the vegans, vegetarians and elderly with animal

protein allergies or intolerance.

Environmentally Friendly RuBisCo Protein Production for Silver Market

• Vegetal protein is more sustainable than animal protein in terms of greenhouse gas

emissions, land use, water and energy.

• RuBisCo extracted from the sugar beet leaves can be used as a substitute for animal

protein and it will reduce vegetal waste.

• A transition from animal to vegetal protein consumption would reduce CO2 emissions,

land use, energy demand and water needed for livestock maintenance.

• Cattle production is the major source of the greenhouse gas emission, while egg

production can is connected to the use of antibiotics and animal exploitation.

LCA Publications

• Publication Revalorisation of food waste – LCA approach has been presented at

international conference Total Food 2017 in Norwich Research Park, United Kingdom.

• Results of the LCA research should be presented at Protein Summit 2020 in October

2020 in Lille, France.

Thank you for your attention.

“This project has received funding from the Bio Based Industries Joint Undertaking under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No 720728”

This project has received funding from the Bio Based Industries Joint Undertaking under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No 720728

Dubravka Skunca, PhD, DScGreenProtein Project LCA Leader

dubravka.skunca@ppf.edu.rsdubravkaskunca@hotmail.com

GreenProteinProjectwww.greenproteinproject.eu

@GreenProtein_EU

https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/greenprotein-project/