Sustainable protein technology : an evaluation on the STW Protein programme and an outlook for the future

In 2013 a new STW research programme was started on sustainable protein recovery. This STW Protein Programme consisted of five sustainable protein technology projects, which aimed at developing innovative methods to extract proteins from plant leaves, microalgae and insects to meet the increasing demand for food proteins for humans and livestock. The aim of the additional STW-project ‘Meer en Beter Eiwit’ was to summarize and evaluate the main results and conclusions of these five projects. Besides, some more recent additional insight on protein extraction was supplemented. Project partners including WUR, knowledge institutes and industry were interviewed to obtain their opinion on the project performed and future research needs. This has led to a vision document that gives direction to future research in the field of protein and technology. The approach of this project was to study the topic from start (biomass) via technology to finish (product). It was further put into a larger perspective, looking at the entire chain. When relevant, additional aspects such a soil quality and global protein demands were included.