Snacks and supplements from ugly vegetables

Up to 40% of produce can be wasted on the farm because it doesn’t meet consumers’ and retailers’ demands for its looks.

In an attempt to reduce this waste and harvest the nutrients that are currently ploughed back into the paddock, Horticulture Innovation Australia and the CSIRO are developing ways to turn imperfect vegetables into nutrient-rich snacks and supplements. The aim is to create products that can be sold as powders, concentrates or vegetable-dense snacks for children.

Farmers cannot afford to freight ‘ugly’ vegetables, so CSIRO is looking into entrepreneur interest setting up processing hubs in key growing regions where growers can have their underutilised produce turned into high-value, nutrient-dense products.

Separation, extraction, stabilisation and fermentation technologies are all being investigated.

The desired outcome is also to encourage new industries and employment based on new edible food ingredients and products from the underutilised vegetables that will provide more returns to farmers.

The raw material source for the nutrient extraction is also not limited to the farm, as vegetable processors could include their offcuts in the nutrient recovery and utilisation processes.

The project, which is due for completion late 2018, has been funded by grower-owned, not-for-profit research and development corporation Horticulture Innovation Australia, using vegetable levies and funds from the Australian Government, with co-investment from the CSIRO.