SUgar Beet REvolution: Enzymatic Biorefining of Sugar Beet Pulp to Nutraceuticals and Recyclable Materials (SURE)
Novo Nordisk Foundation
Technical University of Denmark
Sugar beet is one of the highest yielding crops in the Northern Hemisphere, with 2.5 million tons/year produced in Denmark alone. It is grown to produce sugar, but the fibrous pulp is rich in functional cellulose fibers and unique bioactive polysaccharides. Our vision is to convert sugar beet into a biorefinery crop and a leading example of how to shift from one product to sustainable production of several valuable products via side-stream bioprocessing. We propose to meet this challenge by an interdisciplinary research effort providing the scientific foundation to achieve entirely biotechnology-based fiber disassembly and optimal product functionalities. We will target microbial expansins to loosen structural cell wall assemblies, explore enzymatic separation of bioactive pectin elements and cellulose microfibrils, enzymatic lignin removal (lignin-hemicellulose linkages), study anti-inflammatory bioactivity, and learn how assembly, disassembly, and reassembly of biocomposites work.
Research / Programmes and collaborations / Award