01.03.2022
Innovative Upcycling: Sustainable Ingredients From Brewer's Spent Yeast
Swiss start-up Yeastup AG derives premium vegan protein and fiber from brewing by-products / call for funding planned
Yeastup AG, pioneers in the field of sustainable use of spent brewer's yeast, provide nutritional proteins and dietary fibers for the food, beverage and cosmetics industries. Yeastin® is a top-quality, highly versatile protein source that is also natural and sustainable. Other products derived from the cell wall of yeast include beta-glucans and mannans, which are marketed under the UpFiber® brand. The goal of the founders is to make a real contribution to sustainability and the circular economy: Their vegan proteins and polysaccharides have the smallest possible carbon footprint and require neither arable land nor irrigation.
The brand Yeastin® comprises vegan proteins obtained by upcycling spent brewer's yeast. Using a newly developed process, the cell walls are gently disrupted to release the nutrients. The result is a high-quality protein with an excellent nutritional profile that is as valuable as that of animal proteins. Thanks to its neutral taste and high solubility, Yeastin® can be used in a wide range of applications – predominantly meat and dairy alternatives. Furthermore, its numerous and versatile functionalities mean it can also act as an emulsifier or foaming agent, and thus replace eggs in vegan formulations, for example.
As brewer's yeast is packed with proteins and other nutrients, extracting these valuable components from the cell walls makes total sense from both a nutritional and sustainability perspective. In collaboration with engineering companies and the University of Life Sciences FHNW based in Switzerland, Yeastup developed a gentle process to extract the ingredients of the cells of spent brewer's yeast and remove off-notes, as well as the natural residues from the brewing process. The result is a protein powder that convinces with highest purity and quality, and, importantly, a neutral taste.
In addition to the Yeastin® proteins and the polysaccharides brand UpFiber®, Yeastup offers support with product development and formulation. The company is also aiming to collaborate with food and cosmetics manufacturers on future product development, and is looking to add tailor-made compounds and blends to its portfolio. In order to further expand production capacity, Yeastup is soon planning to issue a call for funding to attract additional equity from corporates and venture capital companies.
Entrepreneur Daniel Gnos, founder of Yeastup AG, worked in the brewery sector for years before developing and successfully marketing his own innovative, protein-based food products. "I have been aware of the incredible nutrient density in spent brewer's yeast for a long time," he explains. "To me, seeing these powerhouses being used only as animal feed or being disposed of was a senseless waste of highly valuable resources. Together with my co-founder Urs Briner and our team, I want to make an effective contribution to the protein supply for a steadily growing world population – and, at the same time, advocate sustainability, upcycling and a functioning circular economy."
