Sunflower Waste into Sustainable Meat Alternatives

Date:25 Aug 2022

Country: Finland Germany

Application

• Creation of plant-based and hybrid meat alternatives using sunflower press-cake.
• Development of high-protein ingredients for sustainable food production.

Description

The Taste2Meat project aims to upcycle sunflower press-cakes, a byproduct of sunflower oil production, into sustainable meat alternatives. Collaborating with organizations like VTT, DSM, and the University of Helsinki, the project focuses on creating plant-based products using sunflower, pea, and rapeseed proteins. The goal is to offer consumers a smooth transition to plant-based foods while contributing to a zero-waste and sustainable food system. This initiative targets European consumers with hybrid and fully plant-based meat alternatives.

Pathway Description:

The Taste2Meat project involves extracting proteins from sunflower press-cakes, a byproduct of sunflower oil production, followed by texturization using high-moisture extrusion to mimic meat texture. The extracted sunflower protein is then combined with other plant proteins, such as pea and rapeseed, along with flavor enhancers to create plant-based meat alternatives, which are further refined for taste, texture, and nutritional value.