Food companies explore the creation of food from bones
Ground Pany Up Produces Superground And Poultry From Fish Finnish Products Food Bones
Bone consumption has a rich culinary history, used in broths and stews, for example. So it's no surprise next-generation food and drink companies have turned their attention to this portion of the world's meat and fish, which is often discarded in the food waste and estimated to generate 8%-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Bones should be a no-brainer part of the sustainable food boom, a global industry sector into which an estimated €21bn of capital has been injected over the past 10 years.
However, a company in Finland called SuperGround has stolen a march and may have cornered the bone market, and enabled an entire rethink of meat processing.
The world's conventional farmers will be happy to see its food innovation, which supports rather than threatens the world's meat and fish industries.
And consumers will welcome a sustainable food innovation miles away from the likes of ultra-processed plant-based "meat" and "dairy" products, foods from fermentation using genetically modified micro-organisms, laboratory-grown meat and plants, and insect-based foods.
These have been the go-to innovations in order to feed an expected population rise of two billion in the next 30 years, while coping with the effect of climate change on crops, along with wars and trade barriers.
Unlike others, SuperGround did not ignore the obvious, the world's growing meat consumption (set to increase 14% by 2030).
Nor did SuperGround ignore meat production's carbon emissions. Instead, the company accepted there were no signs of meat consumption decreasing globally, and that we cannot just tell people to stop eating meat.
SuperGround looked for solutions to make meat production more efficient and sustainable, while producing foods that are safe, nutritious, and tasty.
The company concentrated first on poultry, production of which consumes less land and water than other meats.
The company zeroed in on the 25%–30% of a chicken’s net weight, the skeleton, which is often completely wasted, despite its calcium and other nutrients such as gelatin, protein, and fats from the bone marrow.
Food scientist, microbiologist, and entrepreneur, Santtu Vekkeli is one of the founders of SuperGround, He recognised the opportunity and developed the technology that transforms fish and poultry bones into tasty and nutritious foods.
He recognised the avoidance of bones in food is more psychological than technological, with bones often seen as a biting hazard, which is why fish and poultry are deboned before reaching our plates.
This leaves companies with bones for disposal. In fish processing, up to 70% of the total fish weight is discarded.
SuperGround has developed and patented processes to upcycle poultry and fish bones, using only heat, pressure and mechanical shear forces.
The first end-products are pastes which can be added to meat and fish products, proven in blind tasting at sensory laboratories to improve the taste of, for example chicken nuggets, and the nutritional value.
Now, rainbow trout fishballs, popular in restaurants in Finland, are 30% SuperGround paste from upcycled fish bones. More products will be launched soon.
SuperGround’s technology can be used for many fish and poultry products such as nuggets, sausages, kebabs, patties, cold cuts, and soups.
By using undervalued fish and poultry side streams to yield an extra 30%-60% from fish, and 30% from chicken, SuperGround paste and "hybrid meat" can reduce CO2 emissions per kilo of food by as much as 40%.
SuperGround aims to contribute to the EU Green Deal by developing sustainable and nutritional seafoods. The company's main business model is to partner with industrial companies for industrial-scale production.
The company is one of the finalists for this year’s FoodTech 500 of global entrepreneurs at the intersection between food, technology and sustainability.
