How AI can cut food processing waste - Fraunhofer Institute A €10m project to slash food processing waste using artificial intelligence (AI) has been launched in Germany, focusing on meat, bakery and dairy production.
A study conducted by the Thünen Institute in 2019 revealed that about 30% of food waste occur in food production and processing.
The REIF project has 30 partners working on a long-term solution. The primary focus is designing an AI ecosystem, which includes participants at every step of the value chain. The project is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) to the tune of €10m.
Scientists in Germany are researching ways to revolutionise the chemical industry by replacing petroleum-based raw materials with sustainable proteins from rapeseed oil waste.
The Freising-based Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging’s TeFuProt project aims to counteract the scarcity and long-term price increase of fossil fuels by using food waste for industrial applications.
The processing of rapeseed oil, widely used in food production, results in protein-rich by-products known as rapeseed meal and press-cake.
“Up until now, this residue has been used mainly as a foodstuff in livestock farming but this usage is limited because of the bitter substances contained,” said Andreas Fetzer, scientist at the Fraunhofer Institute.
Me & My Team: Princes Long Sutton canning factory
By Rob James Princes Foods canning plant manager Rob James tells Rod Addy about developments at its Long Sutton site.
I have been working on the foods side of Princes since 2013, initially with responsibility for our Wisbech sites and then early 2018, I took over dual responsibility for the Long Sutton and Wisbech sites.
Prior to that, I was best part of five years at our drinks site in Cardiff. I joined Princes back in June 2008.
Factory Location
Capacity
Size
Major retailers, convenience stores, foodservice business and wholesalers
Back in 2017 a plan was conceived for a significant investment in this site under the umbrella of Canning Excellence - an investment that has totalled close to £80m. We moved to build a new raw materials warehouse.
Israeli firm Aleph Farms says it has successfully cultivated the world’s first slaughter-free ribeye steak.
The company announced it achieved the feat in conjunction with its research partner, the Technion Faculty of Biomedical Engineering at the Israel Institute of Technology, using 3D bioprinting and cow cells.
Aleph Farms says it is now able to produce any type of steak in this way and therefore plans to expand its portfolio of meat products.
“This breakthrough reflects an artistic expression of the scientific expertise of our team,” said Didier Toubia, co-founder and CEO of Aleph Farms.
The 3D bioprinting technology involves the printing of living cells, which are then incubated to grow, differentiate and interact to acquire the texture and qualities of a real steak.