Sugar beet pulp fiber demonstrates the potential of dietary supplements and sustainable plastic alternatives

New technology allows separation of remaining sugar beet pulp fibers after sugar production. Some of the fibers can be used as dietary supplements due to their anti-inflammatory properties and beneficial effects on the gut flora. Another part of the fiber, cellulose, can be made into a component to replace plastic, for example.

Using residual products from sugar production from sugar beets can satisfy one of Professor Ann S. Meyer’s Vision Professors. Convert current food production to use not only one, but also several valuable products.

“We already know this from the production of grain, for example. It’s growing mainly to convert the kernel into flour. But because we use plants, straw, shells, and more for a variety of purposes, the whole plant is part of the cycle,” says Meyer.

Similar circular bioeconomic ideas underlie projects that utilize biomass that remain after sugar production.

“We call Star Project because of our high ambitions as well as our perspective is so large. Demonstrating the possibility of using sugar beets on some valuable products, our vision is to expand our thinking to many other similar products on a global scale. The whole crop for more than just food,” explains Meyer.

“We have taken an important step to ensure profitable global use of raw materials to create multiple beneficial products by separating fiber into food production residues using biologically inspired enzyme-based technology. Based on the use of specific fiber structures in plant materials.”

First Result

A few weeks ago, Meyer’s research group managed to discover a new enzyme that acts on the fibers of sugar beet-producing residues, the so-called sugar beet pulp. Now it’s about showing how quickly the enzyme penetrates the pulp. There, the cell wall components are separated so that different fibers can be quietly separated from each other.

One group of interesting fibers in sugar beet pulp is the bioactive pectin element, and previous research projects have shown that it has beneficial effects on the intestinal environment. This effect needs to be documented, and Professor Susanne Brix Pedersen’s DTU is at the forefront of this work. She studies immunology and the effects of microorganisms in the gut, and along with her expertise and her team, she can map the anti-inflammatory effects of fibers and how it affects our immune system.

“As life expectancy increases, there will also be a growing interest in staying healthy for longer, and in this context, these health-promoting nutritional fibers will be interesting. The goal of our work over the next few years is to document its effectiveness and define how it is appropriate to consume these fibers. For special nutrition,” says Meyer.

Replacing the plastic

The second group of fibers available from sugar beet pulp is cellulose. The cellulose structure is the same, but the molecular environment of sugar beet cellulose, and therefore sugar beet pulp, is different from cellulose, known from trees, for example. In trees, the fiber is reinforced with lignin, and in particular, to keep the plant upright and waterproof for years, sugar beets grow very rapidly in the soil and are harvested annually.

“Therefore, sugar beet cellulose fibers are more adaptable, so to speak, and are not as hard as cellulose from wood. We want to utilize this nanocellulose in a material that can be designed for a variety of purposes. They will be decomposed and reused again,” says Meyer.

This vision is realized through collaboration with Swiss EMPA research institutes with innovative applications and extensive expertise in cellulose recycling.

The project includes a close collaboration with Professor Michael Z. Hauschild, EMPA’s Quantitative Research Center, as the process and product are not necessarily sustainable just because they are based on natural materials. Hauschild, DTU’s Quantitative Sustainability Assessment Centre. He continues to assess whether the project’s initiative is sustainable. Researchers with detailed knowledge of plant cell wall structure in the Department of Plant Environmental Sciences, Professor Peter Wolveskov of the University of Copenhagen, are also involved in the work.

The researchers’ first results show that it is possible to form different types of materials from sugar beet cellulose, and that the material has the desired properties. Intensive work is underway to demonstrate that these materials can be gently decomposed and recycled several times.

Additionally, new enzymes and technologies are being developed that are expected to have a lasting impact on new products on the mild processing of plant materials.