Puratos UK aims to fight food waste while contributing to consumers’ health and well-being

A collaboration between Puratos UK, Biopower Technologies, Food Science Fusion and the University of Chester has won a grant from Innovate, the UK government funded body. The grant is awarded for the innovative usage of food waste to enrich bread and cakes with fibres and proteins.

The innovation, called Maxfibre, is prepared from side stream products of brewery, cereal milling and fruit processing to deliver a natural, low-cost dietary fibre in a micro powder format. It would allow bakers to increase the amount of fibre in a finished good without compromising on taste or texture This would make affordable, nutritional food accessible to more people, and in a sustainable way thanks to the upcycling of fibres.

Most adults in the UK are eating well below the recommended daily intake of 30g of fibre, with most only consuming an average of 18g per day, * and bakery products providing approximately 25% of the recommended daily allowance (RDA). Consumers recognise the need for fibre in their diet and are increasingly open to the reformulation of finished goods, with 81% agreeing ‘I’m happy if recipes of products are changed to make them healthier, provided they’re still as tasty’ (up from 79% in October 2019). ** This presents a real opportunity for higher fibre bakery products.

Innovate UK Executive Chair Dr Ian Campbell said: “In these difficult times we have seen the best of British business innovation. The pandemic is not just a health emergency but one that impacts society and the economy … Maxfibre along with every initiative Innovate UK has supported through this fund, is an important step forward in driving sustainable economic development.”

James Slater, R&D Director at Puratos UK said; “This project meets Puratos’ commitment for producing more sustainable and healthy ingredients. Maxfibre aims to improve the health and enjoyment of bakery products whilst exploring new ways to re-purpose and re-think food waste streams. We hope for many similar opportunities and projects that allow us to work on combining great taste, health and sustainability!”

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