A three-year project at the ZHAW is exploring possibilities for utilizing organic waste left over from industrial food production. Nadina Müller and Selcuk Yildirim are heading up the project. According to an interview with the two researchers published on the ZHAW website, there have already been multiple inquiries about the project from the food industry.
Müller and Yildirim selected a total of 15 raw materials for their research. Ten were chosen because they are generated in large volumes and have a substantial environmental impact. “The other five were our own personal choices, for example because they have interesting components,” explains Yildirim in the interview.
Müller adds that they “deliberately chose some difficult side streams that are contaminated with heavy metals or pesticides. The idea is to identify solutions for handling them.” The project aims to produce guidance that does not sidestep difficult issues.
In the case of cocoa bean shells that are contaminated with pesticides, the researchers have already found a process that enables cadmium levels to be brought down below the permissible limit for cocoa in the side stream. A chocolate manufacturer is interested in packaging made from cocoa bean shells. A student-led side project has even successfully produced an ice cream made from cocoa bean shells, which is attracting interest from another partner. Müller and Yildirim are currently investigating the possibilities for large-scale machine production of a film they have produced from potato peelings: new manufacturing processes for packaging must be developed in addition to the new materials. ce/hs
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