PhD degree for studying the potential for plus products in yeast production for feed

David Lapeña Gómez defended his PhD thesis on the 13th of September for obtaining a PhD degree from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU). His PhD project was a part of the Foods of Norway - Centre for Research-Based Innovation (SFI). His PhD thesis is entitled: "Production of yeast from spruce sugars and hydrolysates of protein-rich by-products as feed ingredient". David tested several raw materials and ingredients from Norilia in his studies.

In his PhD studies, Lapeña has investigated whether it is possible to produce yeast efficiently on Norwegian resources only - wood and by-products from animals and fish. By using enzymes to break down the structures in the meat, he and his co-workers produced nitrogen-rich liquids. The nitrogen was used for the fermentation of yeast, together with spruce-derived sugars produced at Borregaard using state-of-the art enzyme technology.

David's results show that Norilia's raw materials can indeed be used as a nitrogen source in the production of yeast for feed, and they can be combined with spruce sugars. Further steps include technical-economic evaluation of the process, further optimization, and evaluating the impact of feeding yeast on animal health and final product quality. First results in the Foods of Norway indicate that yeast does not only provide protein, but can be linked to health benefits in salmon and farm animals.

An article was written by the Norwegian University of Life Sciences about David's work and its potential , which can be read here:

https://www.foodsofnorway.net/news/node/38109