Transforming agricultural byproducts into high-value peptides
In manufacturing processes up and down the UK, feedstock can often be put to a single use, and the by-products thrown out. From potato peels to scrap metal, the waste that comes from these industrial processes can find a second life as the feedstock to another manufacturing process. By utilising what we used to see as waste, and finding innovative processes that turn it into something new, we can reduce waste, cut carbon emissions and build entire new industries.
Valogen Biosciences is focused on the production of high-value peptide materials, for use in the medical, personal care and nutritional markets, from abundant low-value feedstocks. One such byproduct that they are using to make new products is oil seed rape (OSR) meal, created during the process of crushing and expelling rape seed oil.
Scaling up production
Valogen has designed and built a functioning pilot plant to process OSR meal at the Dunnington Industrial Estate outside York. The plant takes advantage of the open access processing and analytical facilities of the Biorenewables Development Centre (BDC) who are based on the same site and the availability of flexible warehouse space to house bespoke pilot scale facilities.
Through private and public sector investments, Valogen has demonstrated how hydrolysis of OSR meal proteins followed by downstream purification technologies can be employed to produce higher value peptides at scale.
Funding the future
Valogen is now working with BioYorkshire to identify routes to access finance for further scale up of this process and is also in discussions with Simpson, the main landlord on the Dunnington Estate, to scope out the specification and costs of a dedicated food grade facility for OSR to peptide production at larger scale. This will take advantage of newly developed warehouse space on the Dunnington site that is now available for pilot scale bioeconomy activities.
In addition to links with BDC and Simpson, Valogen is collaborating with CNAP in the University of York Biology Department to explore routes to improve the cost efficiency of the company’s processes. CPI in Teesside is also working with Valogen to produce robust techno-economic assessments of the OSR to peptide process.