This sugar campaign goes beyond sugar alone
At the start of this month, our two Dutch factories received that the last sugar beets of this campaign. This marks the conclusion of this year’s sugar beet campaign. Reflecting on the achievement, we celebrate not only a tough but successful sugar production process but also, equally important, the advancement of crucial innovations. Among these innovations stands Fidesse®, a tailor-made product for the meat and fish substitute industry.
In the sugar production process, a co-product emerges – beet pulp, traditionally used in the animal feed industry. However, this co-product holds untapped potential, making beet pulp a truly valuable raw material.
RD&I
Cosun Beet Company has dedicated years to finding new applications to valorize the entire sugar beet. Our Research, Development & Innovation department explores ways to generate added value products with sustainable impact from every component of the sugar beet – our Bright Beet Solutions.
Fidesse®
Remarkably, sugar beet pulp can be used in diverse applications such as paper production and serves as an excellent texturizer for plant-based foods like meat substitutes. Rigorous testing across various applications has yielded highly promising results. Fidesse®, for instance, crafted from beet pulp, imparts the ideal texture and juiciness to meat substitutes, accompanied by a neutral taste and colour.
Collaboration
The production of Fidesse® involves transporting beet pulp from the diffusion tower at our sugar factory to a producer. This producer already performs the necessary processes to convert beet pulp into Fidesse®. This strategic partnership facilitates a quality production process and the continuous development of Fidesse®.
A promising future
Collaborating with our producer and conducting joint tests has resulted in significant advancements in the production process. Despite its recent market introduction, Fidesse® appears to have a highly promising future. Fidesse® is gaining traction among a diverse range of buyers.
Presently, we produce relatively small quantities of Fidesse®. During this year's beet campaign, the amount of Fidesse® generated was sufficient to produce for example 50 million plant-based burgers. Our long-term goal is to significantly scale up production capacity.
Just the beginning
This success story is a testament to our ambition for a product that has already proven to be exceptionally successful. It showcases how we work tirelessly on innovations, explore cooperation opportunities, and achieve outstanding results. This success only fuels our appetite for more accomplishments in the future!