New GFI Report Identifies Soy Meal as Top Candidate for Upcycling

A new report released by the Good Food Institute (GFI) examines the future potentials for upcycling agricultural waste into food ingredients and alternative protein inputs. In preparing the report, GFI analyzed the byproducts from the top eight high-volume crops across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico to determine which have the highest potential for applications in plant-based protein ingredient production and as ingredients for fermentation and cultivated meat. Throughout this process, GFI used criteria including forecasted volume, production unit cost, environmental impact, and functional attributes of each side stream.

Among the possible plant protein concentrate side streams, GFI identified soy meal as a top candidate. Although currently used mostly in animal feed, the volume of soy grown in North America combined with the popularity of soy protein concentrates in plant-based foods, make upcycling soy meal a promising option.

In addition to its uses in plant-based protein, GFI ranked soy meal and the top side stream for cultivated meat media, due to its solid amino acid profile, including a high number of essential amino acids necessary for cell growth, and the existence of soy poptone production already common in the cellular media market.

Along with soy meal, GFI also ranked corn dried distiller’s grains, corn gluten meal, and canola meal as byproducts with good potential for cellular media.

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