Periodic Reporting for period 2 - HYDROBLOOD (Innovative processing plant for optimal production of Decolourised Hydrolysed Protein (DHP). A secure, cost-effective and eco-friendly blood by-product solution.)
Reporting period: 2018-02-01 to 2019-08-31
Blood is a common by-product of the meat industry, which is obtained in large volumes especially in industrial slaughterhouses. Approximately 1,452 million pigs were processed worldwide for their meat in 2013. The annual available blood supply exceeds 4.35 million tonnes worldwide. Taking into account a typical protein content around 18%, 783k tonnes of protein could be produced worldwide.
In spite of the significance of this sum, an important part of the collected blood is not considered but a waste. The reason lies in the lack of suitable facilities in the slaughterhouses to properly collect and handle blood. Hence, a high percentage of the abovementioned amount of protein becomes a waste, which requires expensive decontamination treatments and large amounts of water. On the other hand, the collection of blood in most of the slaughterhouses where it is considered a by-product is carried out together with other by-products, treated un-specifically in large digesters. This process avoids part of the costs of elimination because it excludes the decontamination treatments, but the obtained end-product does not have a remarkable added value and the possibility of valorisation remains unexploited.
From TALLERES AZUARA we have identified the business opportunity behind this market weaknesses, and we have developed the HYDROBLOOD processing plant to solve all of them, which is a secure, cost-effective and eco-friendly system for blood collection and processing. With current technologies available into the market, only around 35% of the protein contained in blood can be recovered as an added-value by-product. With our innovative HYDROBLOOD processing plant, the 100% of protein content can be recovered from animal’s blood, and converted into a high added-value product: The Decolourised Hydrolysed Protein (DHP). This will make a big impact within the European Protein Market, valued at 2,547,000 Mt in 2013, and estimated to increase by more than 40% the next 10 years. After 28 months of HYDROBLOOD project execution, we can conclude that our initial assumptions have been fully validated, and we are now ready to start with the exploitation of our technology at industrial scale.
In spite of the significance of this sum, an important part of the collected blood is not considered but a waste. The reason lies in the lack of suitable facilities in the slaughterhouses to properly collect and handle blood. Hence, a high percentage of the abovementioned amount of protein becomes a waste, which requires expensive decontamination treatments and large amounts of water. On the other hand, the collection of blood in most of the slaughterhouses where it is considered a by-product is carried out together with other by-products, treated un-specifically in large digesters. This process avoids part of the costs of elimination because it excludes the decontamination treatments, but the obtained end-product does not have a remarkable added value and the possibility of valorisation remains unexploited.
From TALLERES AZUARA we have identified the business opportunity behind this market weaknesses, and we have developed the HYDROBLOOD processing plant to solve all of them, which is a secure, cost-effective and eco-friendly system for blood collection and processing. With current technologies available into the market, only around 35% of the protein contained in blood can be recovered as an added-value by-product. With our innovative HYDROBLOOD processing plant, the 100% of protein content can be recovered from animal’s blood, and converted into a high added-value product: The Decolourised Hydrolysed Protein (DHP). This will make a big impact within the European Protein Market, valued at 2,547,000 Mt in 2013, and estimated to increase by more than 40% the next 10 years. After 28 months of HYDROBLOOD project execution, we can conclude that our initial assumptions have been fully validated, and we are now ready to start with the exploitation of our technology at industrial scale.
During the 28 months of the project, according to the mechanical scale-up and optimisation of the HYDROBLOOD process (WP1), the HYDROBLOOD demonstrator plant has been fully designed (P&ID development and optimisation, commercial equipment selection, taylor made equipment design, etc.), and all the commercial and taylor made components have been ordered/manufactured. During the process optimisation phase, several modifications from the initial design have been integrated in the industrial scale processing plant, especially within the hygienic blood processing line, in order to optimise the production rate and minimise costs, while maintaining the quality of the final product obtained. In parallel with this, the control system and electrical architecture of the demonstrator plant (WP2) have been fully developed (architecture definition, SCADA development, PLC code implementation, electrical diagrams, 2D layout of electric cabinet, and selection of components). After that, all the electric and automation components have been purchased, and electrical/control cabinets have been set-up and wired. An on-line monitoring platform to monitor different HYDROBLOOD processing plants has been also designed and developed within this WP, and deployed on TALLERES AZUARA’s server. Once the demonstrator plant design has been finished, several legal and certification actions have been conducted (WP3). All the legal allowances for HYDROBLOOD processing plant construction and operation have been obtained from relevant administration. Moreover, all the certification and homologation requirements for the HYDROBLOOD processing plant and the Decoloured Hydrolysed Protein (DHP) have been assessed, and technical documentation presented to relevant administration when needed. In the last stage of project execution, the HYDROBLOOD DEMO plant has been fully commissioned (WP4) within MAFRICA slaughterhouse’s facilities, and final validation and process optimisations have been carried out. Several batches of protein have been then obtained and analysed in laboratory, with very positive results. During the whole project execution, commercialisation and communication (WP5), as well as management (WP6) activities, have been conducted, such as: Brand creation strategy definition, commercialisation strategy validation, visits to potential clients, assistance to trade missions and trade fairs, Business Plan update, market assessment update, social media accounts creation for the dissemination of the HYDROBLOOD project (with up to date information published regularly), promotional material creation for the promotion of our invention, Freedom to operate through the HYDROBLOOD process IPR validation, among others.
HYDROBLOOD process will introduce into the market a solution that not only convert the whole technical and hygienic blood (plasma and globular fraction) in a high added value product (Decolourised Hydrolysed Protein, DHP) but, since the DHP is not a raw matter, avoid the microbial spoilage after the blood processing. Moreover, we will produce a 100% meat protein that can substitute current proteins based on plants (i.e. soya), providing a non-allergenic product with added protein value.
Moreover, with current technologies available into the market, only around 7% of the protein contained in blood can be recovered as an added-value by-product (from plasma fraction). With our innovative HYDROBLOOD processing plant, almost the whole 18% of protein content can be recovered from animal’s blood (plasma and globular fraction), and converted into a high added-value product: the Decolourised Hydrolysed Protein (DHP). This will make a big impact within the European Protein Market, valued at 2,547,000 Mt in 2013, and estimated to increase by more than 40% the next 10 years.
Last but not least, HYDROBLOOD process presents significant advantages against blood processing competitive solutions, since it has a lower production cost of a high added value product, and the initial and operational associated costs of the processing plant are much lower. Moreover, the obtained protein can be sold at lower price than plasma powder, it has a 96.29% of protein content (while dried plasma and dried red cells contains only 74% and 86% of protein respectively), it has the highest digestibility of the market (95.85% of digestible protein content, it has a much higher content of iron (2,200ppm) than plasma powder (55ppm), it has no bacteriological risks (since it is not a raw matter), and it has a high usability (since it has a soft yellow color and does not cause taste changes).
Moreover, with current technologies available into the market, only around 7% of the protein contained in blood can be recovered as an added-value by-product (from plasma fraction). With our innovative HYDROBLOOD processing plant, almost the whole 18% of protein content can be recovered from animal’s blood (plasma and globular fraction), and converted into a high added-value product: the Decolourised Hydrolysed Protein (DHP). This will make a big impact within the European Protein Market, valued at 2,547,000 Mt in 2013, and estimated to increase by more than 40% the next 10 years.
Last but not least, HYDROBLOOD process presents significant advantages against blood processing competitive solutions, since it has a lower production cost of a high added value product, and the initial and operational associated costs of the processing plant are much lower. Moreover, the obtained protein can be sold at lower price than plasma powder, it has a 96.29% of protein content (while dried plasma and dried red cells contains only 74% and 86% of protein respectively), it has the highest digestibility of the market (95.85% of digestible protein content, it has a much higher content of iron (2,200ppm) than plasma powder (55ppm), it has no bacteriological risks (since it is not a raw matter), and it has a high usability (since it has a soft yellow color and does not cause taste changes).