![]() “I studied Animal Sciences here in Wageningen and did a PhD on the effects of perennial ryegrass cultivars on several aspects for improved animal performance. The combination of emission reduction and manure valorisation is essential to develop new animal production systems that comply with the future standards for the environment and are also economical viable.” ![]() I will be involved in programmes dealing with manure valorisation and coordinating policy-supporting research. “This month I joined Wageningen Livestock Research as project manager. Creating these systems together with the agricultural community is very stimulating.” It makes me happy when I see agricultural entrepreneurs implementing techniques that use nutrients from manure and other residual flows more efficiently, resulting in fewer losses to the environment. This research involves process technologists and biochemists working closely with experts in plant breeding and plant physiology.□♻️ “Making the Netherlands more beautiful, by making agricultural systems cleaner and more circular. Wageningen University & Research has conducted research into efficient, economically viable protein extraction from agricultural residues for more than 10 years. It also makes a good egg substitute in food products. This makes Rubisco a very useful protein for processing into meat substitutes and plant-based dairy alternatives, for example as a way of providing a firm ‘bite’ or improved mouthfeel. In its pure form, Rubisco has a neutral aroma, colour and flavour, and a good balance of the essential amino acids. The protein is therefore found in every leaf of every green plant on Earth, often in considerable quantities. ![]() Rubisco, or Ribulose-1,5-biphosphate carboxylase oxygenase, is a crucial enzyme in photosynthesis. The leaves are either ploughed back into the soil as fertiliser or are composted, both of which are low-value uses of the residues compared to extracting protein for human consumption. These residues are composed of leaves and stems. Harvesting food crops results in the yearly production of around 40 tonnes (for sugar beet) to 50 tonnes (for tomatoes) of crop residues per hectare. These might include producers of dairy and meat substitutes,” says Bruins. “That could mean working with greenhouse horticulture businesses, or businesses that use plant-based proteins as inputs. The researchers hope to work with the private sector to further develop the technology to apply it on an industrial scale. ![]() “Our study proves that you can achieve substantial gains in sustainability by making better use of what you already have. ![]() “Our method filters out the components that are smaller than the protein we want to extract, and this includes many toxins,” says project leader Marieke Bruins, a senior scientist in protein technology at Wageningen University & Research. The leaves of potato and cassava plants, for example, also contain toxins, and like tomato leaves they therefore are unsuitable for direct consumption. The same method could also be suitable for extracting Rubisco from the leaves of other food crops. The result was a high-value protein powder which was free of toxins. The researchers investigated whether they could use this method to also remove the toxin hydroxytomatine from tomato leaves. The pilot study was based on a method of extracting Rubisco from sugar beet leaves. ![]()
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