Previously Funded Projects

Here at the Bioresource Processing Alliance (BPA) we are proud of the fact we’ve helped provide funding support for appropriate projects that utilise the expertise of our research partners.

For further information on any of the below previous projects please contact our GM – Nicky Solomon on nicky.solomon@bioresourceprocessing.co.nz

Project Title Project Summary Project Date Lead Partner
Optimisation of DAF to Companion Petfood Looking at utilisation of protein powder created from the top phase of a dairy-dissolved air floatation unit as an ingredient in pet food. The third in a series of projects developing this concept. August 2024 AgResearch | Massey University
Scoping study of geoduck lipids Exploratory analysis of the biochemical compounds in geoducks. August 2024 Callaghan Innovation
Local manufacturing of bioproducts from forestry by-products The project is a follow-on to an initial project and aims to validate and refine the practical and economic feasibility of converting forestry by-products into value-added products focusing on wood pellets and carbonised products. August 2024 Scion
Upcycling bovine co-products for sustainable protein Finding alternative uses for bovine co-products that will recover value, minimise costs and reduce environmental impact. Builds upon a current project which is developing a protein ingredient from bovine co-products. August 2024 Callaghan Innovation
Novel hop products from underutilised bioresources Aims to identify high value uses for hop processing streams and develop prototypes of extracted oils that have valuable novel flavour/aroma profiles. Builds upon an earlier BPA project that characterised the by-products from the hop picking process. August 2024 Plant and Food Research
Develop further products from kabocha kernel protein powder Convert the kabocha seed (by-product of kabocha milk production) into high-protein powder and edible oil. This will build on earlier BPA-funded projects that looked at squash seed oil products, and other projects that have developed a range of prototype food products from kabocha milk by-products. August 2024 Callaghan Innovation | Plant and Food Research
Conversion of berry juice pomace to high value extracts To perform a techno-economic analysis of processing of raw blueberry juice pomace into a phenolic/anthocyanin powder concentrate. August 2024 Callaghan Innovation
Value-add from whole reject potatoes (summer student internship) Conversion of reject potatoes into higher-value food or beverage products. August 2024 Massey University
Feather and hair derived biomaterials (summer student internship) Extending previous work on keratin from waste sources to determine if material suitable for injection moulding can be developed. August 2024 AgResearch
Kānuka biochar to activated carbon Technoeconomic analysis to determine the feasibility of creating a high-value activated carbon from the by-product of a novel process converting kānuka to food flavouring. June 2024 University of Auckland
Sustainable harakeke packaging Technoeconomic analysis to determine the feasibility of creating sustainable food packaging from harakeke fibre. June 2024 Scion
Valorisation of remaining fish material Convert by-products from fish processing into fish protein concentrate or isolate, and fish oil for use in pet or human nutrition. Additionally, to remove organic material from wastewater. June 2024 Callaghan Innovation
Finger lime processing Develop an automated method for processing second-grade finger limes into pearls and peels, and to develop methods for preserving the pearls and convert them into potentially shelf stable ingredients or products. June 2024 Callaghan Innovation
Advanced waste to renewables Further development of technology for hydrothermal oxidation of biomass for energy production. June 2024 Scion
Added value leafy greens Repurpose surplus perishable green leafy produce by exploring options to create added-value products. June 2024 Plant and Food Research
Methanogen inhibition ingredients from grape marc Small scale drying trials and technoeconomic analysis to determine the feasibility of including grape marc in ruminant feed to aid in methane reduction. June 2024 Plant and Food Research
Technoeconomic analysis for mobile pelletising plant Assess the feasibility and viability of designing a mobile wood pelletising system that would utilise forestry harvesting residues, mainly focusing on cut-over areas in forests. June 2024 Scion
Mushrooms from wood by-products To transform oversized logs, which would otherwise be burnt, into valuable mushroom products for the nutraceutical and culinary markets. March 2024 Plant and Food Research | Scion
Mycelial submerged fermentation with liquid whey To identify valuable nutritive and bioactive compounds generated whey is used as a culture media for mycelial submerged fermentation. March 2024 AgResearch | Massey University
Production of kumara vine powder To produce value-added products from Kumara vine, which can be added to food supplements such as protein powders. March 2024 Callaghan Innovation
Essential oil extraction by-product utilisation To identify value-added uses for hydrosol and wood residue, generated during the extraction of essential oil. March 2024 Scion | Callaghan Innovation
DAF to companion animal food Development of a protein rich companion pet food product from dairy DAF waste stream (follow up to previous project DAF to companion petfood). March 2024 Callaghan Innovation | AgResearch
Waste lactose to edible oils A fermentation process is to be developed to produce potential food grade microbial lipids using lactose rich dairy permeate waste. March 2024 Callaghan Innovation
Longline Bait (Master’s) To valorise the significant waste stream of dead whole crayfish by developing a bait that specifically appeals to rig, and thereby reduces unwanted by-catch. March 2024 Massey University
Fruit Pomace Evaluation Detailed compositional breakdown of various types of fruit pomace (blackcurrant, boysenberry and blueberry), including analysis of nutrients and bioactives. December 2023 Plant and Food Research
Mīti – Sustainable beef, nutrition, and processing Further development of Alps2Ocean Food’s Mīti bar through understanding of the nutritional functional health benefits of the product and lifecycle analysis of the ingredients. December 2023 AgResearch
Elevating zero-alcohol beer flavour with spent grain derived kokumi Determine the feasibility of extracting (novel) kokumi compounds from spent grain and hops, which can then be used to enhance the flavour profile of zero-alcohol beer in a circular system. December 2023 AgResearch
Fermented Papaya Product Produce value-added products through the fermentation of papaya, as well as assessment of the fermented products to establish and quantify the levels of key compounds of interest. December 2023 Plant and Food Research
ReFib -Conversion of waste fibre into construction materials (summer intern) Explore opportunities for creating construction materials from high-fibre by-products such as corn husk, hemp hurd and wood waste. December 2023 Massey University
Reject Kiwifruit (summer intern) Work on the development of juice products to utilise reject gold kiwifruit. December 2023 Massey University
R&D of cauliflower-based ice cream products (summer intern) Work on flavour development, quality and shelf-life for cauliflower-based ice cream products. December 2023 Massey University
Biochar from grape marc (Master’s) Explore the hypothesis that applying grape marc biochar to vineyard soils will:
a) improve the fertility of the soils though improved nutrient exchange
b) increase drought tolerance of grapevines through enhanced water infiltration and holding capacity
c) achieve a net reduction of carbon emissions in grape production
December 2023 Lincoln University
Valorise cheese whey (summer intern) Quantify current cheese whey losses from small cheese producers throughout New Zealand and identify candidate products that can enable manufacturers to valorise the whey. December 2023 AgResearch
Adding Value to Marlborough Waste Streams Investigate the feasibility of developing aquafeed diets by assessing various waste streams from the Marlborough region as potential feedstocks for mealworm. August 2023 Plant and Food Research
Biobased MDF board (summer intern) Aim to develop and optimise a process of preparing a MDF style board from waste plant straw (such as hempseed and linseed, products that are of low value and feathers. August 2023 AgResearch
Production of low molecular weight fucoidan from seaweed Undaria (PhD) Develop and evaluate a novel method to co-extract fucoidan, alginate, and proteins from Undaria for use in high-value food and health products. August 2023 University of Auckland
Omega Plus Pet Food Digestibility Trial Test the digestibility of petfood products using by products from fish production. August 2023 Massey University
Dielectric Spectroscopy of Biobased Functional Carbon Nanomaterials (summer intern) Establish dielectric spectroscopy as a tool to study the electronic properties, for example conductive inks, which are key elements for printed electronics. August 2023 Scion
Kabocha (squash) Project for Asia Upcycle Kabocha squash seed, kernels and peels to produce innovative food products. June 2023 Callaghan Innovation
Preparation of Natural Mushroom Stalk Kokumi Rich Flavour Extract and Investigation of its Sensory Attributes Create a natural plant-based flavour enhancer from parts of the mushroom plant not currently used in primary production. June 2023 AgResearch
Protein and High Value Ingredients from Low Value Beef Co-products Assess the feasibility of producing beef protein concentrates or powders for use as ingredients in food and beverage products. June 2023 Callaghan Innovation
Discovery of Innovative Health-based Consumer Value Propositions in Cherries Utilise a digital screening tool to identify novel health-related properties of second-grade cherries. June 2023 Plant and Food Research
Polymers from Bread Waste Investigate the possibility of utilising non-edible bread waste for production of polymers suitable for manufacturing bread packaging. June 2023 Plant and Food Research
PhD: Using cold plasma for offal disinfection Investigate the use of cold plasma technology to reduce the microbial load on offal processed by micro-abattoirs, enabling its use as a high-value food ingredient. March 2023 AgResearch
DAF to Companion Petfood Utilise the protein recovered from dairy plants’ DAF (dissolved air floatation) systems to create protein ingredients for petfood. March 2023 Callaghan Innovation
Waste Stream Valorisation of Underused NZ Seaweed Bioresources Seek to extract value from the side streams from the process of making nanocellulose from seaweed, which is created from the by-product of seaweed fermentation. March 2023 Scion
Masters: Apple Fibre Production – Science Underpinning Process Optimisation Exploration of the potential to manipulate the glass transition temperature of apple pomace with an initial hydrothermal treatment, which could improve the economics of drying the pomace. March 2023 Massey University
Vegetable Sheet Development Produce a product similar to nori in appearance and functionality using vegetable pulp. March 2023 Massey University
Apply now and let’s work together to bring your project to life