Extracting protein from potatoes

Avebe: utilise the whole of the potato

Avebe is an ambitious company that wants to utilise the whole of the potato. The first time that Bodec and Avebe worked together was back in 2008. Since then, Bodec and Avebe developed various new technologies and concepts that were converted into practical solutions. A recent success is the development of a process to extract a vegetable protein called Solanic.

The challenge

In order to extract, concentrate and dry the natural proteins in non-GM potatoes, an entirely new process needed to be developed. The proteins had to be easily soluble, with good emulsifying, foaming and gel forming characteristics, so that they could be used in various food products, as a replacement for animal proteins.

The approach

Bodec conducted various experiments to find an efficient and optimal process to extract, concentrate and dry the potato proteins. These detailed, practical trials were supervised by Bodec engineers in Avebe’s own pilot plant.

Using these results, our experts were able to develop the entire process for Avebe. They selected the best technology and formulation for isolating and processing the protein. For some aspects, like the drying installation, we went the extra mile. We selected the various suppliers for these machines and our people helped with the construction of this installation.

The results

The production line for extracting protein from potatoes is currently fully functional. Solanic is already being used on a large scale for vegetarian products and it turns out to be a good replacement for various high-quality animal proteins. As Solanic has a high content of essential and branch-chained amino acids, it can also be used as the base for a nutritional protein that can help people recover after surgery.

Testimonial

“We value our partnership with Bodec, because of their expertise and flexibility. It is great that Bodec can adjust quickly and that we can plan everything together. Their biggest strength is that they think along and that they can facilitate extensive experimentation. It is interesting to see how they develop processes that are not only very efficient but also save energy. This is a perfect match to our mission to use the entire potato. Bodec is able to use very mild techniques to separate the potato into valuable compounds. That is the basis of our partnership.”