They say two is better than one. But is that also true in plant protection? A team at Anhalt University of Applied Sciences (HSA) looked into this question. The scientists had discovered that certain plant extracts and beneficial microorganisms can protect crops against fungal diseases. ‘So we asked ourselves: what if we combined the two?’ explains agricultural scientist Marit Gillmeister. This led to the KombiAktiv2 project, funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and headed by Prof. Ingo Schellenberg from HSA in Bernburg.
‘Our product can supplement flour in various foods.’
Beer production generates huge quantities of spent grain every year. Most of it ends up as animal feed or in biogas plants. But spent grain is a valuable and nutrient-rich raw material. The start-up ValueGrain has made it its mission to harness this previously untapped resource for the food industry. A team led by managing director and co-founder Tim Gräsing has developed a technology that processes spent grain into ‘liquid flour’ that can be used to supplement conventional flours in all kinds of pasta, but also in meat substitute products.