FutureProteins

In the FutureProteins project, several Fraunhofer institutes are pursuing the goal of developing pioneering technologies for protein supply from plants, algae, insects and fungi as an alternative to animal-based foods. The UMISCHT process engineering department is working on the extraction of proteins from green plants such as wheatgrass. In addition, the Sustainability and Participation department at Fraunhofer UMSICHT is evaluating the developed indoor farming systems and protein extraction processes in terms of their sustainability compared to conventional protein extraction.

Proteins are essential for life. At the same time, they are also well on the way to becoming a scarce commodity in the global food supply. Extreme weather conditions as a result of climate change as well as soil and water pollution caused by the use of pesticides and fertilizers may further increase this shortage in the future. One solution to this challenge lies in the development of new protein sources as a sustainable alternative to conventional animal and plant-based foods that is suitable for mass production.

Since the beginning of 2021, six Fraunhofer institutes have been developing cultivation systems and processes to extract nutrient-rich proteins from plants, insects, fungi and algae. These protein sources are highly resilient and can be grown efficiently all year round, regardless of the climate. Another important component of "FutureProteins" is that energy, waste and wastewater streams from the cultivation systems and reprocessing processes are used to create cost-efficient and resource-saving cycles along the value chain.

Extraction processes and processing methods for proteins from green plants

The process engineering department at Fraunhofer UMISCHT is working on the extraction and processing of proteins from green plants such as wheatgrass.

Fraunhofer UMSICHT is accompanying the development of the project with the sustainability assessment using the methods of environmental life cycle assessment (LCA) and social life cycle assessment (SLA). The aim of the sustainability assessment is to quantify the environmental impacts of alternative protein production for food from wheatgrass, insects, microalgae and fungi and to compare these with the effects of proteins from conventional biomass. The scope of the study includes all processes up to the finished food. The energy used, infrastructure and consumables are explicitly taken into account. The LCA also enables the early identification of environmental hotspots through which the design can be modified to reduce the environmental impact. In addition, the LCA shows trade-offs between different environmental impact categories, allowing for a balanced interpretation. Fraunhofer UMSICHT also investigated how the ecological footprint of the product could change if the production process is up scaled from laboratory scale to industrial application and where there is potential for optimization.

The extraction of proteins was successfully developed, tested and optimized as part of the project. The researchers also produced small quantities of the proteins obtained and added them to various foods and tested them.

The LCA helps to identify ecological hotspots of the developed technologies. The results of the LCA show that the three protein sources still have too high an environmental impact when using the current electricity mix - except in the case of mealworms - which is mainly due to the high electricity consumption of the cultivation systems. However, the environmental impact will be significantly reduced if more renewable energies are in the future. The life cycle assessment analyses also show great potential for optimization, e.g. by saving energy and Materials by designing the production systems more efficiently and linking the production systems with each other.

• Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME
• Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV
• Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB
• Fraunhofer Institute of Optronics, System Technologies and Image Exploitation IOSB
• Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology IWU
• Fraunhofer institute for environmental, safety and energy technology UMSICHT