Kilkenny company Beotanics participates in major new EU project to develop alternative proteins

A ground breaking new EU project to develop new alternative proteins set in Kilkenny will launch in January 2020.

A range of highly innovative new-protein foods made from plants, fungi, by-products, and residues at Beotanics in south Kilkrnny will soon emerge from Smart Protein, a new Horizon 2020 project funded by the European Commission

 A primary aim of the project is to help build a future-proof protein supply by creating sustainable and nutritious alternative proteins. This is in direct response to some of the most urgent challenges faced by the planet, including climate change and global food security.

It is expected that the first wave of products – including plant-based meats, fish, seafood, cheese, infant formula, and other dairy products, as well as baked goods – will go to market in or around 2025.

 Emanuele Zannini, Senior Research Officer with the University of Cork and the Lead Coordinator of Smart Protein, said: “With the Smart Protein project, we are reconsidering the entire protein value chain from production to consumption in terms of both productive and environmental performance.  We are also targeting soil-health restoration through organic regenerative agriculture practices that are able to shift from carbon-source to carbon-sink agriculture, which is more resilient to the effects of climate change and helps farmers’ long-term financial futures.”

 A total of 33 partners from industry, research, and academia across 21 different countries, including Ireland will collaborate on the project, which is led by the School of Food and Nutritional Sciences at University College Cork in Ireland. Major collaborators include Fraunhofer, the University of Copenhagen, ProVeg International, Barilla, Thai Union and of course,  Beotanics.

Smart Protein’s approach and strategy are unique in that the key focus is on by-products and residues, ingredients that are usually used for animal feed. Microbial biomass proteins will be created from edible fungi by up-cycling side streams from pasta (pasta residues), bread (bread crusts), and beer (spent yeast and malting rootlets).

New products will also be developed from plants, including fava beans, lentils, chickpeas, and quinoa – with a focus on improving their structure, taste, and flavour. Investigations into cost-effective protein extraction, protein chemistry, polymeric structure, physicochemical behaviour, and protein-protein interaction will be carried out in order to maximise the functionality of these proteins and customise their usage in food and drinks.

Smart Protein has a total budget of €9.6 million, €8.2 million of which is provided by the European Commission. It will run for four years from 1 January 2020.

About Beotanics

Based on the 100 acre family farm in Kilkenny, Beotanics is the brainchild of Pat FitzGerald, who is recognised internationally for his innovation in the plant based sectors. Pat through his company FitzGerald Nurseries has won many International Awards for his innovations in new crop development and plant breeding.

Beotanics Plant Lab is where the company researches and produces most of its plant innovations. With over 25 years’ experience in the development of plant varieties and production systems, the company has embarked on an exciting and significant intensification of its interest in food crops and has scaled in Europe a number of unique crops that bring nutritional and functional consumer benefits to the market.

Its appointment as Lead Agronomy Partner to Smart Protein and inclusion amongst this group of internationally recognised European food companies and research universities, brings Beotanics to a new level in the rapidly growing plant based food sector.