Transforming food waste into high-value functional ingredients

Okara, a by-product of soy processing, contains approximately 20% protein but is commonly discarded or used as animal feed, resulting in underutilised resources and lost economic value. Recognising the opportunity to upcycle this food waste stream, RP School of Applied Science developed an okara solubilisation technology that enables the recovery and utilisation of valuable proteins from okara.  

The technology was subsequently licensed to a food innovation company for commercial deployment, marking a significant step in translating research into industry application. Building on this commercialisation success, RP collaborated with the company to further develop protein extraction and peptide fractionation technologies, transforming okara into high-purity protein and functional peptide ingredients suitable for food, nutraceutical and cosmetic applications.  

By converting a low-value by-product into commercially valuable ingredients, the innovation supports circular economy goals, reduces food waste, and creates new revenue opportunities within the food manufacturing sector. The commercialisation of the technology demonstrates RP's ability to develop industry-relevant solutions that address sustainability challenges while supporting the growth of alternative proteins and future-ready food innovations.