Norilia hydrolysed poultry proteins for better health and sustainability

Agriculture must become more sustainable to address the global hunger problem. Currently, 870 million people do not have enough to eat, and yet 30 to 40 per cent of food is lost or wasted along the production chain. According to a UN study, this could feed all of the world’s hungry four times over.

Optimal resource utilisation is also vital to food security. Side streams, for example from meat production, are often used for lower value, non-food applications. Instead, these side streams could be used for higher value applications such as human food, making better use of the nutritional content.

Norilia offers hydrolysed protein ingredients from poultry side streams. Bones and off-cuts are processed using continuous enzymatic hydrolysis – a gentle method of extracting proteins that conserves their nutritional value. The hydrolysed proteins are rich in peptides – short proteins that are easily digestible by the body.

Norilia’s proteins can be used in food, beverages and nutritional supplements for a variety of consumers, from athletes and health enthusiasts to the elderly and people with food sensitivities. The ingredients are a savoury alternative to the many sweet ones currently on the market.

Norilia’s hydrolysed proteins come in three formats: a spray-dried product, Nor-Hydropep 90 SD, with 84 per cent protein, and a liquid version, Nor-Hydropep 60, with 60 per cent dry matter. These can be incorporated into a wide range of food and pet food formats. Nor-Prot50 is a partly hydrolysed protein and mineral meal that is well suited for high-quality pet food.

By increasing value creation from poultry side streams, Norilia helps to increase sustainability in agriculture by fully utilising raw materials.

Norilia uses Norwegian poultry in all of its ingredients. Norway’s livestock are some of the healthiest in the world, with very little infectious disease, low use of antibiotics, and no use of GMOs or growth hormones. This ensures that the proteins are of the highest possible quality for human consumption.

The demand for high-quality protein is growing at a pace with the world’s population, and more and more consumers are becoming aware of what they consume, how it is produced, and where it originates from.

Moreover, the expanding elderly population and geriatric health care are driving demand for easily digestible protein, while the use of protein supplements by athletes and health enthusiasts continues to grow.

Norilia (backed by mother company Nortura) and Felleskjøpet Agri together established the enzymatic hydrolysis of poultry bones as an industrial process in the joint venture Bioco AS.

Norilia has a global export strategy for its high-end ingredients.

Norilia is a member of the NCE Heidner Biocluster, Norway’s national cluster for bioeconomy and sustainable food production, as well as of The Life Science Cluster.