A brand new undertaking on the College of Aberdeen is exploring the right way to flip potato waste into excessive worth compounds that can be utilized for cosmetics, pharmaceutical and nutraceutical merchandise.
The Scottish seed potato trade, value £24.2 million, generates over 51,000 tonnes of potato shaws yearly. As a part of a vital crop administration apply to cease additional tuber progress and guarantee high quality, storability, and illness resistance, the shaws are historically discarded after harvest.
Now, this formidable initiative is unlocking their hidden potential.
The undertaking goals to extract solanesol from the discarded shaws, a compound very important for producing coenzyme Q10 and vitamin K2, key elements in cosmeceutical, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical merchandise.
Presently sourced primarily from tobacco, solanesol demand has soared from 4,000 tonnes within the early 2000s to 66,000 tonnes by 2022. This undertaking gives an moral, sustainable different to tobacco, lowering waste, slicing carbon emissions, and creating new revenue streams for Scottish farmers. By leveraging this potential, the undertaking will make extra full use of the potato biomass, scale back agricultural waste, and create new financial alternatives for Scottish farmers and cooperative members.
With 12,800 hectares of seed potatoes grown in Scotland, the trade may yield as much as 120 tonnes of solanesol yearly, driving round financial system innovation and strengthening rural resilience.
Funded by Innovate UK by way of the Launchpad: Bio-based Manufacturing – Scotland programme, this undertaking brings collectively trade experience from farmer owned co-operative Grampian Growers Ltd., with researchers from the College of Aberdeen and the James Hutton Institute.
Supported by, Alder BioInsights’ sector-leading strategic consultancy and the Scottish Agricultural Organisation Society’s (SAOS) cooperative experience, the consortium is driving new business alternatives in sustainable biomanufacturing throughout Scotland and the UK Assembly International Demand for Bio-Primarily based Merchandise.
Sofia Alexiou, Venture Lead at Grampian Growers mentioned: “This undertaking is especially vital for Grampian Growers and the broader potato trade. It gives a chance so as to add worth to agricultural by-products whereas addressing key challenges equivalent to waste discount and financial resilience. By unlocking new income streams, the undertaking helps Scottish farmers and enhances the profitability of cooperative fashions, demonstrating the potential of innovation to strengthen rural economies.”
Professor Giovanna Bermano, Honorary Chair on the College of Aberdeen who will collaborate on the undertaking mentioned: “This pioneering analysis lays the inspiration for future innovation, guaranteeing that the UK is on the forefront of creating sustainable, eco‑pleasant pure merchandise for the cosmeceutical sector.
“By demonstrating how agricultural by‑merchandise will be remodeled into excessive‑worth compounds, the undertaking units the stage for subsequent analysis and commercialisation that may drive innovation, scale back environmental influence, and safe a aggressive benefit for UK science and trade.”
Professor Heather Wilson, Chair in Immunology, at College of Aberdeen, defined: “Exploring the standard and yield of solanesol extracted from domestically sourced potato shaws—and evaluating its potential purposes throughout the cosmeceutical and associated industries represents an thrilling and impactful space of analysis.
“This work not solely helps the transition to moral, tobacco free sourcing of high-value compounds, but in addition advances sustainable innovation showcasing how science can unlock new worth from agricultural by-products and strengthen the resilience of rural communities throughout Scotland and past.”
