The challenge
Continuous innovative strategy
KAGOME Australia (Kagome) hold the title of Australia's largest tomato processing company. Based in Echuca Victoria, they have also diversified into other produce including carrot, beetroot, pear and apple. As they strive for sustainability, they looked to the Entrepreneurs' Programme, an Australian Government initiative which is funded and supported by the Australian Government, to help them innovate.
Our response
Reducing food waste
Carrot pulp is a by-product of manufacturing carrot juice. Twenty five percent of the carrot remains as pulp and has traditionally been lost as waste.
Kagome calculated the value lost through pulp waste and adapted by drying the pulp into a stable and versatile powder, NinjinFibre®, which is now commercially available.
Kagome wanted to investigate the use of NinjinFibre® in meat processing applications but required more technical knowledge on manufacturing processes and/or complementary ingredients.
Assisted by CSIRO SME Connect Innovation Facilitator Joseph Dodd, Kagome successfully applied for an Entrepreneurs’ Programme Innovation Connections Researcher Placement grant to support research into how dried carrot pulp could be used in burger patties in collaboration with CSIRO's food innovation centre.
The results
Sharing valuable knowledge
Through this project, Kagome found that the NinjinFibre® can be a useful value-added ingredient in cooked burger patties. It was shown to improve a number of key attributes for a meat patty, including significant cost reduction, as well as fitting with consumer trends such as clean label foods and suitability for 'flexitarian' diets, while also addressing global food waste.
This project was showcased at AgCatalyst, an event that showcases latest science and technology in the ag and food sector, alongside CSIRO researchers and an abstract has been submitted for an international conference.
Kagome are now speaking with meat processors to establish supply for this new product in the Australian food industry.
CSIRO unlocked significant savings for meat processors without compromising functionality. I would highly recommend CSIRO as a value added partner.
— Troy Hudgson, Marketing & Business Development Manager, Kagome
Our Partner:
