Meat substitutes based on protein from grass

Using protein from grass to develop meat substitutes. That is the goal of the cooperation between Schouten Europe and Grassa. Grass protein is a suitable alternative to soy, an ingredient now often used in meat substitutes. Grassa and Schouten will research and test the application possibilities of grass protein in meat substitutes, in the coming years.

"Grass protein has enormous potential," says Rieks Smook, director of Grassa. "Grass yields 2.5x as much protein per hectare compared to soy. The availability of grass is excellent. Grass protein is a high-quality, local and scalable alternative to soy. Compared to other protein sources, it provides a huge reduction in the carbon footprint."

Less nitrogen

"A cow converts only 30 per cent of grass protein into milk and meat. 70 per cent is converted into manure. Grassa extracts some of that excess protein from the grass in advance. The residual product, decorticated grass, is eaten by the cow. This way, the protein found in grass is optimally utilised," Smook continues.

Link to human consumption

The National Protein Strategy aims to increase the self-sufficiency of new and plant-based proteins over the next 5 to 10 years, in a sustainable way that contributes to the health of humans, animals and the natural environment. Grassa's process is mentioned in The National Protein Strategy and seen as a promising innovation to produce vegetable protein locally. The collaboration between Grassa and Schouten Europe is in line with this and provides a direct link to human consumption of grass protein.

Novel food

Grass protein falls under the so-called Novel Foods. Grassa and Schouten expect EFSA approval for human consumption of grass protein. This is why both companies are already jointly investing in research and product development.

schoutenfood.com