Scientists at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada are rethinking the definition of waste. Image by Judith Horvath from Pixabay
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) has provided an update on some of its ongoing research in biomass and bioproducts.
Biomass is a renewable organic material that comes from plants and animals, including crops grown for non-food uses, leaves and stalks, fruit skins, and manure.
At one time, biomass waste was just a byproduct of harvest and processing.
Today, it can be found in packaging, as an ingredient in medicine and health products, and in combustible pellets for heating, to name a few value-added uses. It can also find its way back to the farm as products to improve soil quality.
Below are how some scientists are looking at just what defines waste.
Coming Full Circle
In Edmonton, Alberta, economist Dr. Emma Stephens is looking to turn Canadian agriculture’s value chains into value circles.
Dr. Stephens and a team of data analysts are taking the most comprehensive look yet at Canada’s entire agriculture and agri-food industry, from the field to processing and exports to the end use by consumers.
Using a concept called Circular Agriculture, Dr. Stephens wants to know where agricultural resources are being used and potentially lost in the system.
The goal is to reimagine and divert the waste as value-added raw material for new value-added products and renewable energy, or to come full circle to improve agricultural production by bringing surplus resources back to the land.
Health Wealth in Waste
It is suspected molecules are waiting to be discovered in agricultural and food processing waste that could produce big health benefits. These molecules could potentially fight cancer or lower inflammation in the body.
In Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, phytochemist Dr. Jasom McCallum has found and named a few of these molecules that have shown promise and is confident there are a lot more.
Despite decades of study on fresh foods, we are still learning what effect processing has on the formation of new molecules. At the same time, the economics of finding these new biochemicals have been a challenge for industry.
Dr. McCallum and a nationwide team of analytical and food chemists and health researchers are now working on unlocking the potential of this waste using an array of high-tech tools and methods.
Packaging From Waste
Canadian canola oil is world-famous as a healthy, versatile cooking oil. Canadian pulses are helping meet the surging demand for plant-based protein. But the extraction processes to remove the oil and protein leave behind a lot of waste meal. While some of it becomes animal feed, a lot is discarded.
In Guelph, Ontario, Dr. Qiang Liu wants to change that, and he’s got a clear idea of how to turn the waste into a revenue stream—single-use bioplastic film, sheets, and foam for food and non-food packaging.
Dr. Liu and his team are isolating starch in the pulse meal to create starch-based bioplastic, while proteins are being extracted from the canola meal to produce protein-based bioplastic.
Pea is for Possibilities
In Lethbridge, Alberta, Dr. Wade Abbott and his research team are launching a ground-breaking study of the field pea that will open the door to new food and non-food products made from the under-utilized legume and its waste byproducts.
Closely related to garden peas, field peas are grown for their seeds as food. The seeds are also milled to extract protein for the plant-based protein market, with the remaining starchy fibre waste sold as animal feed.
Work will begin next month on the analysis of peas from 10 farms in Alberta and Saskatchewan.
Industry processors have been seeking the information to develop a range of products, from 3D-printed biodegradable packaging and construction materials to improved meat replacement foods and additives.
Chicken Diets Get Berry Interesting
While most people are aware that cranberries and blueberries have a reputation as health-friendly superfoods, did you know that the pulpy wastes (pomaces) of cranberry and wild blueberry processing are also pretty good for poultry?
In Summerland, British Columbia, Dr. Kelly Ross is part of a research team led by Dr. Moussa Sory Diarra that analyzed the microbial population of chicken intestines.
The researchers found that chickens whose diets contained berry pomace had more good bacteria, fewer disease-causing bacteria like Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Salmonella, and a stronger immune system.
The research also showed that pomace can be economically processed into a shelf-stable product that retains its bioactive properties.
Information on the federal government's operation may be found at www.agriculture.canada.ca.