PLANT BASED DAIRY ALTERNATIVES 2022
September/October 2022 ¦ international-dairy.com · 39
Yeastup founders Daniel Gnos (right) and Urs Briner turn
a byproduct into a valuable resource (photo: Yeastup AG)
The startup Yeastup plans to
expand its portfolio to include
customized compounds and blends
(photo: Yeastup AG)
and cosmetics industries. The water used in the process
is recovered, purified and recirculated. At the end of the
process, a maximum of 2 % of non-recyclable residues
remain, which are biodegradable. In addition to yield,
composition and purity of the products, the smallest
possible CO2 footprint and a water- and energy-saving
closed-loop process are equally important developmental
goals. "We want to make a clear difference
to the production of animal proteins in times of global
warming, and show a sensible commercial path to the
circular economy," says Gnos, explaining Yeastup's overarching
aims.
Mastering demanding challenges
What initially sounds like a simple idea is technologically
demanding and involves many pitfalls, which Yeastup
has successfully mastered. Extracting the proteins and
dietary fiber requires expertise in process engineering
and yeast metabolism, as the properties of yeast batches
can vary greatly depending on storage and production
conditions. For this reason, Yeastup initially focused
on developing the process on a pilot plant scale in a
process-safe manner, which means a clear competitive
advantage in the upcoming scale-up to several 100 kilos
per batch. Daniel Gnos says: "We are in the fortunate
position that demand for our protein products was already
huge before the start of demo-scale production
in advance of industrial-scale production. Of course,
this is also due to our product development expertise,
which we share with selected industrial partners under
joint development agreements."
Sustainable proteins for human nutrition
The proteins that will in future be marketed under the
Yeastin brand are suitable, among other things, as ingredients
for milk and cheese alternatives, for protein
fortification of a wide variety of dairy products and for
meat alternatives. Technofunctional tests also demonstrate
increased gelling capacity and very good solubility,
which means Yeastin can also be used as an emulsifier
and egg substitute in vegan products. Applications
for meat alternatives are also being developed. Here,
yeast proteins offer advantages due to their natural
aroma and flavor. Gnos, who has already attracted
powerful partners in this market segment, is convinced
of the potential: "The fascinating thing about our product
range is that we can offer proteins that, with their
complete amino acid profile, correspond to the nutritional
and physiological value of animal protein, but are
also vegan and sustainable. What’s more, they don't
compete with other plant-based foods in terms of resources,
and the supply of raw materials is secure."
Brewers are keenly interested in
high-value uses for their byproducts,
which is why Yeastup has already
secured several thousand
tons of surplus yeast from European
breweries through long-term contracts,
with further talks underway.
Going forward, the startup says it
would like to expand its portfolio to
include customized compounds and
blends. A financing round is currently
underway to raise additional
capital from companies and venture
capital firms for the further expansion
of production capacities.
/international-dairy.com
