Why is food waste a problem, but also an opportunity?
The FUSIONS Report estimated 90 million tons of food waste in 2012 in Europe alone: 17 million (19%) are wastes and by-products lost along the production chain and during industrial processing. The 2019 FAO Report "The State of Food and Agriculture - Moving forward on food loss and waste reduction" confirms these data, estimating the food loss (food waste from the processing industry) in the Europe/North America area at 16%. For Emilia-Romagna, where Packtin was born and has its headquarters, it is estimated that 300,000 tons per year of food by-products are wasted. These figures imply that every year, at best, 16% of cultivated land, fertilisers, water and energy are wasted, and that 16% of CO2 emissions into the atmosphere generated by agricultural and industrial practices have aggravated the global climate situation, without any concrete counterpart. This is unacceptable, both economically and environmentally. But agri-food by-products are also a business opportunity, as flavourings, fibres and antioxidants can be obtained from them.
What is the difference between food waste and food by-product?
Every food transformation process aims to create a final product, but often it also generates other residual products. For example, to make orange juice, oranges are squeezed, resulting in juice on the one hand and peels on the other. The fate of the peels depends on the type of treatment and categorisation the producer wishes to adopt. The simplest, most antiquated and unsustainable treatment is to consider those peels as a waste, to be isolated and disposed of as quickly and cheaply as possible: an immense waste. Instead, a first step of valorisation is to treat the peels as by-products, used as feed in animal husbandry or as biomass for energy production; however, to allocate orange peels to these applications is reductive. In fact, peels are very rich in fibre, vitamins, antioxidants: valuable molecules, sometimes more valuable than the product itself, that make those peels real food products. Packtin is able to valorise every type of by-product with passion and vision, providing the market with the best that Italian innovation has to offer.
To which by-products does your process apply?
Our stabilisation and extraction process can potentially be applied to any food by-product, but for the moment we are only focusing on by-products of vegetable origin; some of them are in great demand on the market already at the flour stage, which is why we are valorising them first, while others (e.g. grape marc and avocado peels) can only be fully valorised through the extraction plant we are creating.
Why is your process circular and sustainable?
Our process is circular because it recovers from food processors what until now was treated as an unwanted waste, destined in the best of cases to be delivered to biogas plants. In our case, on the other hand, it becomes a by-product 100% valorised: a new raw material on its own that can be reintroduced into the food market. The process is environmentally sustainable because both the stabilisation and extraction plants are designed to consume as little energy as possible, thanks to the synergy of different technologies. In addition, water and solvents are recovered and reused and every fraction of the by-products is valorised. Our plant will therefore be zero-waste!
Who are your suppliers? What requirements must they have?
Our suppliers are food processors. The most important requirement is that they also handle what they previously considered a waste as a food grade by-product, i.e. a food product in its own right, according to the dictates of HACCP, to ensure the quality and safety of the finished product. In addition, we ensure the quality and safety of incoming by-products with internal controls. The highest nutritional quality and food safety are two of the values that guide Packtin on a daily basis.
What products and services do you currently provide?
We currently produce high-quality circular flours, obtained by low-temperature drying of food by-products. Furthermore, thanks to our specialised scientific team, we offer consultancy to food companies throughout Italy to study technological and natural solutions to increase the shelf-life of fresh products. But this is only the beginning: the production of extracts and the realisation of biodegradable packaging are projects under development.
What are circular flours?
Circular flours are the first step in the valorisation of food by-products. The raw material, still fresh, is dried at low temperature to preserve the most delicate components, such as vitamins, flavours and antioxidants. Thanks to this process, we obtain 100% plant-based flours of high nutritional quality, rich in fragrance, fibre and active compounds with healthy properties, which can be used in a wide variety of applications: from the food industry to nutraceuticals and cosmeceuticals.
Are your products organic or suitable for special diets?
All our flours are of course 100% vegetable, thus suitable for a vegetarian or vegan diet, and GMO-free. Other characteristics, such as the presence of gluten or origin from organic farming, depend on the by-product of origin. Currently, the vast majority of our products are naturally gluten-free, and we have both organic and conventional references available for several products. For Packtin, it is a priority to satisfy as many consumers as possible, and to contribute to making the food industry more sustainable and plant based.
