Grassa BV awarded €50.000,- for protein pilot

The challenge on "upcycling of horticulture side streams" into valuable proteins, enzymes, and supplements reached an exciting conclusion during Foodvalley NL's Innovation Insights meeting. The challenge was organized by SIGN (Foundation for Innovation in Greenhouse Horticulture Netherlands) and Foodvalley NL. Grassa BV emerged as the winner, receiving the prize for their refinery technology, efficient logistic processes, and expertise in upcycling supply chains.

The expert jury awarded Grassa BV a €50,000 stimulation budget to carry out a pilot project. The pilot aims to produce a minimum of 500 kg of plant proteins from tomato side streams, specifically leaves and stems.

The nominated companies presented their solutions to the audience during the Innovation Insights meeting held on May 23rd 2023. In the afternoon session of the Upcycling Community meeting organized by Foodvalley NL, focusing on "bridging circular food innovators," Grassa showcased their solution and established connections with several partners involved in upcycling side streams.

About the Challenge 

Horticulture side streams contain valuable nutrients such as proteins and enzymes, which can be utilized in food and feed applications. However, the challenge lies in finding an optimal way to process these wet side streams. Currently, side streams are often composted or incinerated, missing out on numerous opportunities to extract high-value marketable biomass. To address this, the challenge was initiated by SIGN and Foodvalley NL, with support from the Brave New Food platform, to identify entrepreneurs with efficient refinery solutions.

Jury Criteria 

The jury considered the following aspects to rank the companies and select the three nominees and the winning company:

• Scalability: Companies were assessed on their ability to scale up the extraction of ingredients from plants in a cost-effective manner.
• Overcoming Challenges: The selected technology provider should have a plan in place to address challenges like seasonal availability, transportation from greenhouses to processing sites, and partnerships to explore new markets for the upcycled food or feed ingredients.

The Finalists & Winner 

During the pitch event on May 8th 2023, hosted by Peter Duijvestijn in his innovative high-tech tomato greenhouse, the jury selected three finalists: 

• AgroSingularity: This Spanish company has been upcycling and valorizing by-products since 2019 in Murcia. They not only transform side streams into food ingredients but also enhance them with flavor, color, micronutrients, and other functionalities to create specialized blends. 
• Circular Fiber: An Italian food-tech company that produces flour from artichoke side streams. Their fiber-rich flour has a 50% lower carbon footprint and a 90% lower water footprint compared to regular flour types. 
• Grassa (Netherlands-based): Grassa unlocks the full potential of grass and other horticultural side streams through pressing, fermentation, and other innovative refinery techniques. They extract functional proteins, minerals, and easily digestible roughage. Grassa's demo plant in Afferden, The Netherlands, can process 3 tons of feedstock per hour for biorefinery purposes.

Grassa BV, the winning company, impressed the jury with their market-ready refinery solution and their ability to forge essential partnerships. Their business proposition addressed key aspects of the new upcycling chain, presenting clear scenarios for organizing pilots that generate ingredients for different markets within the agrifood value chain.

The Upcycling Community 

During the Pre-F&A Next Event of the Upcycling Community, titled "Bridging Circular Food Innovators," held on May 23, 2023, at the Unilever Hive in Wageningen, Grassa presented their winning solutions. This provided immediate opportunities for further collaboration with upcycling partners within and around the Upcycling Community. 

For more information, visit Upcycling Community - |Foodvalley.