By Dorte Larsen, AAU Communication and Public Affairs. Translated by LeeAnn Iovanni, AAU Communication and Public Affairs.

It is important for the green transition that we minimize the consumption of animal foods and towards more plant foods. There is currently a movement in society to move away from animal protein to make food more sustainable.

Several media outlets, including NORDJYSKE, have recently reported on how it will soon be possible to convert clover grass into human food.

From grass to products that can be in our food

Researchers in the Department of Chemistry and Bioscience at Aalborg University are approaching a point where it will be possible to use grass protein industrially for products that can be included in food for people.

Associate Professor Mette Lübeck, an expert in biorefining, is working with her research team to prepare the protein for industrial production.

Mette Lübeck's research focuses on grass and its potential as feed for animals, as well as for human consumption. She is working with Associate Professor Mads Koustrup Jørgensen, who researches membrane filtration, and Associate Professor Simon Gregersen Echers, PhD in nanobiotechnology and protein chemist, to develop products that can be used in food production.

Demand for plant alternatives in the food industry

The grass protein developed by the AAU researchers differs from what is otherwise available on the market. This is mainly because the proteins are processed delicately and retain their natural shape and functionality.

Several other companies that extract protein from grass and plants separate the protein using heat. This means that the proteins become locked, like egg white when you boil an egg. - And then you can no longer use it to, for example, make mayonnaise, explains Simon Gregersen Echers to NORDJYSKE.

The chemist investigates whether the proteins that others in his team extract from the grass retain the properties that the food industry wants.

 - I work on getting this protein to retain different functions so you can make it foam when you whip it or make it bind liquids together, like in mayonnaise, he explains. These are functions that other protein products already solve in the food industry today, but according to the researchers, there is an increasing demand for plant-based alternatives.

Partnering with industry

To make the process work on a large scale, Aalborg University is currently collaborating with the private company BiomassProtein. They have a facility in GreenLab Skive where they can process one ton of grass a day. The researchers are collaborating with BiomassProtein to increase the size of the process.