Innovative upcycling: sustainable, vegan ingredients from brewer's yeast

Swiss start-up Yeastup AG extracts top-quality proteins and dietary fibres from by-products / Next round of financing imminent

Ingredients from brewer's yeast
© Yeastup AG
08.03.2022
Source:  Company news

As one of the pioneers in the sustainable use of surplus brewer's yeast, Yeastup AG offers nutrient-rich proteins and dietary fibres for the food, beverage and cosmetics industries. Yeastin® is a high-quality protein source that is as versatile as it is natural and sustainable. Other products made from the cell wall of yeast are beta-glucans and mannans, which are offered under the UpFiber® brand. The company's goal is to make a weighty contribution to sustainability and the circular economy with vegan ingredients of the highest quality: the proteins and polysaccharides obtained in this way have the smallest possible CO2 footprint and require neither cultivation area nor irrigation.

The Yeastin® brand comprises vegan proteins obtained by upcycling brewer's yeast. Using a newly developed process, the cell walls are gently broken down to release the valuable nutrients. The result is a high-quality protein with an excellent nutritional profile that is in no way inferior to animal proteins. Thanks to its neutral taste and high solubility, Yeastin® can be used in a variety of applications - but especially in meat and dairy alternatives. Thanks to its versatile functionalities, it also serves as an emulsifier or foaming agent, among other things, and can thus replace the addition of eggs for vegan recipes, for example.

The high protein content and nutrient density of brewer's yeast suggested that the valuable components should be extracted from the cell walls and made usable. In collaboration with the University of Life Sciences FHNW, based in Muttenz near Basel, and engineering service providers, Yeastup AG developed a gentle method to break down the cells of brewer's yeast and remove the natural residues from the brewing process as well as all off-notes. The result is a tasteless protein powder of the highest purity and quality.

In addition to proteins under the Yeastin® brand and polysaccharides under the UpFiber® brand, Yeastup offers advice and support in formulations. The company is also striving for joint product developments with food and cosmetics manufacturers in particular. In the future, customised compounds and ready-to-use mixtures will also be added to the product range. For the planned expansion of production capacity, the next round of financing is scheduled for this year, with which further investors from the food industry and venture capital are to be brought on board.

Daniel Gnos, founder of Yeastup AG, worked in brewing for a long time and then developed and successfully marketed innovative protein end products as an entrepreneur. "I had long been aware of the incredible nutrient density in utilised brewer's yeast," he explains. "To see these powerhouses only being used as animal feed or sent directly for disposal was an incomprehensible waste of the most valuable resources for me. Together with my co-founder Urs Briner as well as our team, I want to make a valuable contribution to the protein supply of a growing world population - and at the same time advocate sustainability, upcycling and a functioning circular economy."

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