Horizon Proteins and Sustainability in the food and drink industry

Whisky could be said to be emblematic of Scotland, recognised for its quality throughout the world. This is reflected in increased demand, production and export documented over the last decade. However increasing production volumes are also associated with greater quantities of by-products. These by-products contain significant amounts of protein, but are currently underutilised and often perceived as a challenge rather than an opportunity.
There exists therefore an opening to demonstrate better value uses for these streams. A local opportunity is present in the aquafeed market in Scotland. The salmon farming industry is also in growth, and has an increasing demand for proteins to satisfy the nutritional requirements of their stock. The desire of this industry to diversify their protein base, and reduce their reliance on fish meal (produced from large quantities of wild fish) creates a higher-value market opportunity for the protein from distillery by-products.
The nutritional properties and qualities of protein that can be recovered from pot ale have been examined and it is suggested that the Scotch whisky and Scottish aquaculture could develop beneficial synergies. The work presented here discusses a sustainable process for protein recovery, which has been designed to offer greater financial viability and a significant reduction in energy requirements when compared to traditional treatment technologies for whisky by-products. It is envisaged that, once further developed, this technology could be applied more universally to protein-containing by-product streams from other distilled spirits around the world, and the protein product tailored to niche, high value local feed markets.