How can we feed a growing world population, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and find alternatives to fossil-based materials? Answers are being sought worldwide and also in Estonia, where Metrosert’s Applied Research Centre helps turn scientific ideas into real-life solutions.
In the Vikerraadio programme Ökoskoop, Kaupo Reede, Head of the Biorefining Unit at Metrosert, explained why the development of plant-based proteins will be one of the most important challenges of the coming decades. The global population is growing, fertile agricultural land is decreasing, and livestock farming produces more than a fifth of greenhouse gas emissions. Reducing the share of animal proteins in our diets would benefit both the climate and human health.
Kaupo Reede. Photo: Priit Ennet / ERR
The development of plant-based proteins and resources offers both environmental and economic benefits. As Reede noted, when comparing raw materials such as milk powder and cereals, the difference is striking: milk powder costs around two euros per kilo, while cereals cost 20–30 cents. The outcome is cheaper and healthier – a true win-win solution for both producers and consumers.
Climate change shapes what and where we can grow
Reede, at the request of the European Commission, has led a sub-working group of the Common Agricultural Policy network’s task force that focused on solutions for cultivating plant proteins under changing climate conditions. The objective of this sub-working group was to draw up a vision for the future of creating and sharing knowledge and skills in this field. While Europe has a sufficient amount of plant biomass, the question remains which crops should be grown and where.
Climate change affects regions very differently. In Estonia, the changes are even somewhat positive – warmer summers allow for crops that previously could not be grown successfully, such as maize. Sunflower cultivation, which ten years ago was not economically viable in Poland, has become profitable in the past five years thanks to climate shifts. In Southern Europe, the situation is the opposite: excessive heat and droughts are forcing farmers to reconsider long-established crops.
The whole value chain must be involved from the start
Reede stressed that development work cannot be limited to the laboratory or test fields. From the very beginning, the entire value chain must be engaged: farmers, processors, retailers and researchers. When all stakeholders are involved early on, risks are reduced and the outcomes are more market-ready.
“If a farmer already knows before sowing that their harvest will go to a specific production process and that there is a buyer on the market, the risks in development are much lower,” Reede explained.
Metrosert’s role
Metrosert leads Estonia’s innovation cluster for plant-based proteins, which has already delivered successful products to the market: Tere Dairy’s plant-based range and Tormi’s pea- and oat-protein-based meat-free products. In collaboration with TFTAK, BioCC, TalTech, the Estonian University of Life Sciences and the University of Tartu, new plant based protein solutions are being developed. Metrosert is also preparing a scaling platform to help move prototypes from laboratories into industry and eventually onto store shelves.
“Estonia has created excellent conditions for food innovation. Food development and food industry R&D have a long tradition here, and there are many strong players. To avoid duplication of effort, the research infrastructure network TOIT was established, bringing together universities, Metrosert, TFTAK and BioCC. The aim is to clarify responsibilities – not every lab needs the same equipment, but rather it should be clear who focuses on what. This allows researchers to concentrate on their strengths and collaborate when necessary, ensuring stronger and more effective development work overall,” Reede said.
According to him, in the next 10–15 years the share of hybrid products – foods that combine animal and plant-based proteins – will increase significantly. For consumers, this means healthier and more diverse options; for producers, reduced risks; and for society, a smaller environmental footprint. A similar trend can be expected in bioplastics and biomedicine, and new directions will certainly emerge where plant-based proteins provide alternatives.
“Efficiency always has a limit, but smart and new technologies have none,” Reede concluded on the future perspectives of plant proteins.
Listen to the Ökoskoop programme on Vikerraadio’s website (in Estonian):