Grass, clover, and alfalfa is normally on the menu of cattle and other ruminants and not suitable for monogastric creatures like humans due to the high cellulose content. However, their substantial protein content is becoming increasingly interesting with the growing populations and focus on sustainability and plant-based proteins.
By means of microfiltration, ultrafiltration, and nanofiltration it is possible to extract and purify functional RuBisCo*) protein isolate for human nutrition on industrial scale - without destroying the protein structure. The gentle process preserves the folded structure of the proteins and thus several functional properties that make them perfect as ingredients in plant-based foods and drinks to increase the protein content – and in addition as emulsifiers, foaming and gelling agents. The extracted protein is pure, very digestible and contains several essential amino acids. On top of that, membrane filtration will remove any grassy and bitter flavors from the product.
Grass, clover, and alfalfa are primarily grown in temperate climate zones, providing high and stable yields for more than 6 months of the year. With the new process, high-value functional RuBisCO proteins are thus a sustainable and more easily accessible alternative to imported soy protein.
The process of extracting protein from grass is highly sustainable, starting with separation of the biomass into high-value RuBisCO “white” protein and green proteins, brown juice, and salts by means of microfiltration, ultrafiltration, and nanofiltration. The green proteins are suitable for animal feed, and the brown juice and salts can be utilized as biofuel or fertilizer, thus making use of all parts of the biomass.
We are excited to take part in developing this exciting new process.
*) RuBisCO is the key photosynthetic enzyme in green leaves of plants and is considered the most abundant protein present on earth.
We are pleased to welcome Rasmus Bagger as our Sales Manager at MMS Nordic.
Rasmus will be responsible for sales of our membrane filtration equipment and solutions for different applications to customers in the Nordic countries.
Rasmus has several years of experience from the dairy and food industry and has been employed by companies like SPX and ÅF in various roles, for instance Innovation Center Technologist, Project Manager, and Sales Manager.
Most recently, he worked 4 years for Tetra Pak Processing as a Key Account Manager.
We look forward to working with Rasmus.
We are pleased to welcome Karsten Hedegaard, Quotation Manager at MMS Nordic.
Karsten will be working with costing and quotations for customers in the Nordic markets, as well as with 2D and 3D design.
He has several years of experience designing stainless steel tanks and as a project manager with Tetra Pak Filtration Solutions for the last 10 years.
We look forward to working with Karsten!