# Upcycled food ingredients Functional proteins, fibres and lipids recovered from food-industry side streams — okara, spent grain, brewer's yeast, coffee grounds — and returned to the human food chain as high-value B2B ingredients. Source: https://en.bioecon.ru/technology/upcycled-food-ingredients/ Updated: 2026-08-18 ## Overview and value chain Markers: [EC: EU Circular Economy Action Plan + Waste Framework Directive | OECD: Food systems, Circular bioeconomy | Regulator: FDA (USA), EFSA (EU), MARA (CN)] Upcycled food ingredients are functional proteins, fibres and lipids recovered from agricultural and food-industry side streams — okara, brewer's spent grain and yeast, oat and almond pulp, imperfect produce, spent coffee grounds — and upgraded back to human-food value rather than being composted, digested to biogas or fed to animals. Roughly one-third of all food produced is lost or wasted each year, driving an estimated 8–10 percent of global greenhouse-gas emissions, which makes side-stream valorisation one of the highest-leverage moves in a circular bioeconomy. Biotech processing — enzymatic hydrolysis, solid-state fermentation, membrane fractionation and gentle low-temperature drying — turns these streams into ingredients that replace costly protein isolates, egg white and texturisers across bakery, confectionery, plant-based meat and beverage formulations. The category has crossed into mainstream retail: the Upcycled Certified standard requires at least 10 percent verified upcycled content, and the United States has set a national goal to halve food waste by 2030. The key directions of upcycled food ingredients are: 1. **Enzymatic protein hydrolysis:** controlled endo- and exo-protease cleavage of okara or yeast proteins to unlock emulsifying, foaming and gelling function, lifting okara's emulsifying capacity several-fold. 2. **Solid-state fermentation:** growing *Aspergillus oryzae* or culinary-mushroom mycelium on side streams to remove off-flavours and build functional protein and beta-glucan. 3. **Membrane fractionation:** tangential-flow ultrafiltration that concentrates protein past 65 percent while keeping it native and soluble, alongside soluble-fibre recovery. 4. **Low-temperature drying:** vacuum-drum and spray drying at moderate temperature that stabilise wet side streams — which spoil within hours — without caramelising sugars or oxidising polyphenols. ### Sectoral value chain ``` [Agri/food side streams] ──> [Collection & stabilisation] ──> [Bioreaction & lysis] │ (Fractionation & drying) │ ▼ [Bakery / plant-meat / beverage] <── [Functional B2B ingredient] <─────┘ ``` ### Value chain levels | Level | Description | Key inputs/outputs | |:---|:---|:---| | **Side-stream collection & stabilisation** | Logisting wet by-products (okara, spent yeast) and cooling or acidifying them to halt spoilage. | **In:** Wet food by-products.
**Out:** Stabilised feedstock. | | **Bioreaction (enzymatic / solid-state)** | Protease hydrolysis or *Aspergillus*/mycelium fermentation to unlock functional protein and fibre. | **In:** Stabilised feedstock, enzymes/cultures.
**Out:** Hydrolysed suspension. | | **Fractionation & extraction** | Three-phase centrifugation and separation of cell-wall fibre from soluble protein and bioactives. | **In:** Hydrolysed suspension.
**Out:** Protein and fibre streams. | | **Membrane concentration** | Tangential-flow ultrafiltration to concentrate native protein above 65 percent without heat damage. | **In:** Protein stream.
**Out:** Protein retentate. | | **Drying & standardisation** | Vacuum-drum or spray drying to a stable powder, standardised on protein, fibre and organoleptic specs. | **In:** Protein retentate.
**Out:** Functional dry ingredient. | | **B2B formulation & sales** | Supplying ingredient to bakery, plant-based-meat and beverage makers under upcycled-certified labels. | **In:** Functional ingredient.
**Out:** Finished consumer foods. | Cross-cutting technologies of the sector: - **Enzymatic hydrolysis (biocatalysis):** precise protease cleavage shortens side-stream protein chains to expose hydrophobic groups, recovering emulsifying and foaming function. - **Solid-state fermentation:** *Aspergillus oryzae* and mushroom mycelium deodorise okara and spent grain while building functional protein and beta-glucan. - **Tangential-flow membrane concentration:** ceramic-membrane ultrafiltration concentrates protein without thermal denaturation, preserving solubility and gelling. --- ## US The United States leads on commercialisation, anchored by a voluntary certification standard that turned "upcycled" into a recognised on-pack claim and by a cluster of ingredient pioneers. ### Upcycled Certified standard, okara and spent-grain flour, mycelium fermentation - **Renewal Mill:** an Oakland company that dries and micronises okara from soymilk plants into a gluten-free, high-protein, high-fibre flour, extending the line to oat-pulp ingredients sold B2B and as baking mixes under the Upcycled Certified mark. - **ReGrained:** the B2B brand of Upcycled Foods, Inc., whose patented rapid dehydration turns wet brewer's spent grain into SuperGrain+ flour supplied to pasta, chip and bread makers. - **MycoTechnology:** a Colorado fungi-fermentation firm producing ClearIQ bitter-blocking and mycelium-based ingredients from solid-state fermentation of agricultural streams, having refined its portfolio around taste and clean-label function. --- ## CN China frames upcycling as a circular-agriculture and protein-diversification strategy, with state planning and a vast okara stream underpinning a research-led rather than startup-led sector. ### Five-year circular-economy plans, okara solid-state fermentation, tea-waste polyphenols - **China Agricultural University:** a Beijing research leader advancing solid-state fermentation of okara with *Aspergillus oryzae* and lactic-acid bacteria to remove the beany off-flavour and convert soy pulp into functional fibre and protein for noodles and baked goods. - **Okara scale:** as the world's largest soymilk and tofu producer, China generates millions of tonnes of wet okara a year, making its valorisation a national protein-security and waste-reduction lever. - **Tea-waste polyphenols:** Chinese institutes lead work on upcycling tea-leaf waste from bottled-tea plants into high-purity catechins and polyphenols used as natural antioxidants and preservatives in the meat industry. --- ## EU Europe pairs the Circular Economy Action Plan and Waste Framework Directive with a dense Dutch-led ingredient cluster and retail pull for circular foods. ### Revyve yeast ingredients, coffee-oil upcycling, circular retail - **Revyve:** a Dutch startup that physically fractionates spent brewer's yeast — sourced in partnership with AB InBev — into protein and beta-glucan ingredients that replace egg white and methylcellulose in plant-based meats and baking, with a commercial plant in the Netherlands. - **Kaffe Bueno:** a Danish company upcycling spent coffee grounds into KAFFOIL coffee-oil ingredients, whose KLEANSTANT bio-based surfactant won a 2025 industry award for converting coffee oil into a natural anionic surfactant. - **Retail pull and clean-label advantage:** because most side streams (okara, spent grain, yeast) derive from foods already cleared for consumption, European producers can register ingredients on simplified pathways and market them as clean-label, fuelling "circular food" shelves at major retailers. --- ## Leading companies and research institutes | Company / Institute | Country | Key products / platforms | Tech features | Status 2026 | |:---|:---|:---|:---|:---| | **Revyve** | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | *Yeast protein & fibre (vegan egg)* | Spent-yeast fractionation (AB InBev) | operating | | **Renewal Mill** | 🇺🇸 USA | *Organic okara & oat flour* | Okara dehydration & milling | operating | | **ReGrained** | 🇺🇸 USA | *SuperGrain+ spent-grain flour* | Rapid spent-grain dehydration | operating | | **MycoTechnology** | 🇺🇸 USA | *ClearIQ & mycelium ingredients* | Fungal solid-state fermentation | operating | | **Kaffe Bueno** | 🇩🇰 Denmark | *KAFFOIL coffee-oil ingredients* | Spent-coffee-ground upcycling | operating | | **CAU** | 🇨🇳 China | *Okara & soy research* | Aspergillus/lactic okara fermentation | research | --- ## Tech stack and innovations The upcycled-ingredient industry stacks specialised bioreaction, membrane and drying technology to recover food-grade function from streams that were previously considered waste. 1. **Enzymatic protein design (biocatalysis):** - Wet side-stream proteins often have poor functionality after harsh upstream processing; mild enzymatic hydrolysis shortens the chains and exposes hydrophobic groups, lifting okara's emulsifying capacity three- to four-fold. - The output mimics egg-white function (foaming, gelling) for vegan mayonnaise and bakery, replacing expensive isolates. 2. **Low-temperature vacuum and spray drying:** - Wet brewer's spent grain spoils within 4–6 hours at water activity above 0.9, so vacuum-pulse dryers evaporate moisture at around 55 degrees Celsius to prevent lipid rancidity and polyphenol oxidation. - Spray drying with low-shear nozzles at controlled inlet and outlet temperatures concentrates protein past 70 percent dry matter while keeping native gelling and foaming intact. 3. **Downstream membrane fractionation:** - Multi-stage disc centrifuges and ceramic ultrafiltration membranes split a single stream — such as starch-processing waste — into a protein concentrate above 65 percent and high-molecular-weight soluble fibre (beta-glucans). --- ## Value chains and production pipelines ### Industrial pipeline of brewer's-yeast-to-functional-protein ingredient (HACCP / ISO 22000 food-safety standards) ``` ┌───────────────────────────┐ ┌───────────────────────────┐ │ 1. Collection & stabilise │ ───> │ 2. Autolysis & enzymatic │ │ spent brewer's yeast │ │ lysis │ └───────────────────────────┘ └───────────────────────────┘ │ ▼ ┌───────────────────────────┐ ┌───────────────────────────┐ │ 4. Membrane concentration │ <─── │ 3. Three-phase separation │ │ (TFF ultrafiltration) │ │ & debittering │ └───────────────────────────┘ └───────────────────────────┘ │ ▼ ┌───────────────────────────┐ ┌───────────────────────────┐ │ 5. Gentle spray drying │ ───> │ 6. Standardisation & pack │ └───────────────────────────┘ └───────────────────────────┘ ``` #### Stage 1: Collection, logistics and stabilisation Wet liquid brewer's yeast at a water activity above 0.95 is collected from brewery fermenters, cooled to 4 degrees Celsius and acidified with food-grade citric acid to block pathogen growth and autolysis, then shipped to the processing plant in isothermal tankers. #### Stage 2: Controlled thermal and enzymatic autolysis The yeast suspension is heated to about 55 degrees Celsius and dosed with specific peptidases; heat and endogenous enzymes break the tough yeast wall of mannoproteins and beta-glucans, releasing soluble cytoplasmic proteins into the water phase before a 85-degree pasteurisation step halts the reaction. #### Stage 3: Three-phase separation and debittering The hot mass is centrifuged and washed with a mild alkaline rinse to desorb bitter hop resins, splitting it into an insoluble cell-wall fibre fraction rich in beta-glucans and a clear liquid extract of soluble proteins and nucleotides. #### Stage 4: Membrane concentration and ultrafiltration The liquid protein extract is cooled to 10 degrees Celsius and run through a tangential-flow ceramic ultrafiltration unit with a roughly 10-kilodalton cut-off; salts and water pass through as permeate while high-molecular-weight functional proteins are retained and concentrated to 25–30 percent dry matter. #### Stage 5: Gentle spray drying The protein concentrate is fed into a spray-drying tower with low-shear nozzles; an inlet near 150 degrees Celsius and outlet near 70 degrees Celsius keep the contact time short enough to avoid heat denaturation, preserving native gelling and foaming function. #### Stage 6: Standardisation and packaging The dried light-cream powder is tested for protein content (target above 70 percent dry matter), solubility, emulsifying capacity and microbiological purity, then blended for batch uniformity, vacuum-packed in multi-layer kraft sacks and shipped to plant-based-meat and bakery customers.