Research Highlights

Here there are main research highlights of the Joint-Initiative Proteins for a Sustainable Future:


A summary of the various work packages of the Joint Initiative.

WP 1

WP 1. Protein extraction & fibrillization

Main contact: Svitlana Mykolenko; svitlana.mykolenko@hest.ethz.ch


Globally, about a third of all food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted (FAO, 2011), significantly contributing to CO2 emissions and climate change. We address this by valorizing industrial food waste through the sustainable recovery of various animal and plant proteins. To template biocompatible and eco-friendly protein-based materials, we explore efficient amyloid fibrils production from waste-derived proteins for scalable industrial applications.
Protein recovery from soy whey in the Mezzenga group.

WP 2

WP 2. High value fungal proteins from food waste streams

Main contact: Gustav Nyström; gustav.nystroem@empa.ch

At the intersection of biotechnology and sustainability, our research explores the potential of white-rot fungi to upcycle food waste into high-value proteins. By cultivating white-rot fungi on different food wastes, we successfully produced novel, versatile proteins with unique surface-active properties. This research paves the way for the development of innovative, bio-based materials such as emulsions and membranes, contributing to a more circular and sustainable economy.

WP 2. Mycelium-bound composites from food waste

Main contact: Tiffany Abitbol; tiffany.abitbol@epfl.ch

Fungal fermentation is used to convert protein food waste into new functional materials. Above, as an alternative to polyurethane foams, we highlight perforated mycelium-bound composite foams for sound absorption or other types of insulation.

WP 2. Protein amyloid-natural biodegradable polymer bioplastic blends

Main contact: Shrestha Roy Goswami; shrestha.roygoswami@hest.ethz.ch

This project aims to substitute polyvinyl alcohol, conventionally used in biodegradable film development, with a starch-pectin and plasticizer-based polymeric blend combined with amyloid nanofibrils synthesized from food waste-derived proteins. The developed films exhibit adequate ductility and tensile toughness to endure packaging-induced stresses, along with customizable barrier properties designed to meet the specific requirements of various food packaging applications. The above figure provides an overview of biodegradable starch-based packaging film developed from tofu whey amyloid nanofibrils.

WP 3

WP 3. CO2 sorption

Main contact: Christoph Müller; muelchri@ethz.ch

Amyloid fibrils-based aerogels are produced, which can function either directly as a CO2 sorbent provided a large number of primary amino groups, R-NH2, is accessible for CO2 molecules, or as a support allowing for the high dispersion of functional materials with favourable CO2 adsorption properties such as amines from green, sustainable precursors. This project has a strong focus also on the development of scalable synthesis techniques, producing granular CO2 sorbents that can be used in conventional industrial reactors.

WP 6

WP 6. Depolymerizing/polymerizing into new proteins

WP 7

WP 7. Sustainability assessment

From the lab to society: we help understand the potential impacts and benefits of the protein-based functional materials in the context of their large-scale use. Using tools like life cycle assessment, material flow analysis, meta-analysis, multi-criteria decision methods, and geospatial data analysis, our goal is to optimise the matching of protein wastes (e.g., whey from cheese processing or soy “whey” from tofu production) to their potential alternative uses in society (e.g., aerogels or bioplastics).