Whisky and Salmon: Scottish icons linked by Sustainability and Chemical Engineering principles

More than 500 million litres of whisky are produced in the United Kingdom annually. It has been reported that for every litre of alcohol distilled, on average 8 to 15 litres of effluents are generated. Whisky by-products (WBP) – which include liquid and solid components – contain important amounts of proteins that are currently under-utilised and perceived as a problem rather than an opportunity for the whisky industry. The Scottish aquaculture industry, and particularly salmon farming, with a growing demand for proteins to satisfy the nutritional requirements of their fish stocks, could take advantage from the proteins available from WBPs. By reducing the reliance on wild fish and imported protein sources (e.g. soybean meal), the aquaculture industry could benefit economically and improve substantially the sustainability of their protein supply chain. This presentation will cover the nutritional, chemical and physical properties of WBPs; highlights of methods for protein recovery - influenced by chemical engineering principles - and the economics behind a large-scale process and the final product.