Upcycling barley byproducts into high-protein flour

Korea’s first food upcycling company has created a new flour alternative using barley from beer and sikhye production

Spotted: Seoul-based food upcycling startup RE:Harvest has created a new flour alternative made from upcycled barley from the production of beer and sikhye – a traditional sweet Korean beverage. So far, the company has raised ₩200,000,000 (around €150,753) in seed funding from Sopoong and SparkLabs Accelerator.

RE:Harvest says that its powder is not only more sustainable than traditional flour, but that it also has a higher protein content. The company is currently working on scaling up its production so that it can meet the demand from both domestic and international customers – as well as expanding their byproduct sourcing.

The company believes that it is a ‘perfect fit’ for food and beverage firms looking for options to hit the Korean government’s 2050 net-zero carbon emission goal. The new flour is produced through a patented process which upcycles these byproducts into a high-protein, low-carbohydrate powder. RE:Harvest says that one kilogramme of their flour can save up to 1.1 kilogrammes of carbon dioxide emissions, and that the flour can be used in a variety of baked goods and other products such as pasta and pizza dough.

The company is currently liaising with six major breweries in South Korea—including brewing giant Oriental Brewery—who will supply barely byproducts to them at no cost. Conversations are also being carried out in Indonesia with Heineken subsidiary Bintang.

Other sustainable food alternatives recently spotted by Springwise include alternative fats produced through fermentation, a replacement for vegetable oil made, an environmentally sustainable alternative to egg whites.